First, I'm not an electrician. Second, I'm in New Jersey. That said...
From the few electricians I've spoken with around here, "by the time the POCO comes out..." I've seen them wire the meters while hot.
I have yet to see PPE used, except for when I did see someone from the POCO "cutting" my neighbor's new service after it was already installed. He had gloves and glasses. I'm not sure if more than that is called for on a residential meter.
I'm sure the others on the board here will have more information for you. Meanwhile, does anybody recall where the photo is of the meter that arc flashed?
