Portable gradient control mat

A portable gradient control mat in combination with energized equipment for supporting persons that are performing work on the energized equipment above a ground surface;

• the mat comprising:
• two panels, each panel comprising (i) a top plate formed of conductive material and defining an upper supporting surface of the panel that is rigid, the upper supporting surface being adapted to support said persons standing on the upper supporting surface of the panel, and (ii) supporting plates perpendicular to the top plate and spanning a height of the panel between a top and a bottom of the panel at sides of the panel to support the top plate spaced above the bottom of the panel when the bottom is supported on the ground surface;
• a flexible conductor which is joined between the two panels to define a conductive pathway between the two panels such that (i) the conductive material of the top plates are in conductive communication with one another and (ii) the panels remain movable relative to one another between a working position in which the sides of the panels are abutted with one another such that the upper supporting surfaces of the panels are substantially coplanar with one another and a stored position in which the panels are stacked adjacent one another;
• a conductive cable operatively connected between the conductive material of the panels and the energized equipment such that the upper supporting surfaces of the panels define an equipotential zone in relation to the energized equipment;
• and
• a locking assembly operatively connected to the panels so as to be operable between a locked condition in which the panels are retained in the working position in which the upper supporting surfaces of the panels are substantially coplanar with one another and a released condition in which the panels are freely pivotal between the working position and the stored position.