Lineman wearing conductive suits when working on extra-high-voltage lines are ______ to the shielding.

• A. linked
• B. fused
• C. bonded
• D. None of the above

Answer: (C)

Equipotential bonding between the lineman’s conductive suit and the shielding is essential for safe high-voltage work. The suit can carry voltage or pick up induced charges, so tying it to the shield keeps the worker at the same electrical potential as the shielding. This minimizes dangerous potential differences that could cause arcing or electric shock if a fault occurs or if the worker contacts live parts. Bonding provides a low-impedance path for fault current and maintains a protective potential environment around the worker. The correct term for this connection is bonded. The other terms don’t describe this protective connection: linked isn’t the standard term, fused implies a different joining method, and none of the above would be correct if bonding is the intended concept.