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iPi Monthly Forum for Utility Professionals
The iPi monthly forum is where you can get answers to questions you have from subject matter experts like David McPeak, Jim Vaughn, Danny Raines and other utility safety and ops professionals like yourself. Forums will include industry specific topics, challenges, trends, and solutions along with best practices in leadership, operations, and safety.
Strategically layering moisture-wicking, flame-resistant garments can enhance worker comfort without compromising safety.
When the System Isn’t Enough: How to Create Personal Motivation That Saves Lives
Author’s Note: In this article – the first in a five-part series – we explore the notion of accepting 100% accountability for our safety at work, just as we do at home. This is an act of self-preservation. The hope is that management’s safety focus will overlap with our own preparation. We want as much overlap as possible.
The next article will address mental preparation, which is different than…
Forecasting the Future of Utility Safety: 10 Predictions for 2026 and Beyond
As we stand on the precipice of a new era in the utility sector, it is clear the future holds transformative potential driven by relentless technological progress.
We are already seeing not just small changes but a complete overhaul. The horizon is replete with innovations aimed at redefining safety protocols and operational efficiency. Predicted advancements – ranging from connected monitoring s…
‘Can I Be the Leader?’
Leadership continues to be a critical area of focus for utility safety and operations professionals. In my own career at Georgia Power, “Can I be the leader?” was a question I often asked myself and my employer. Now, in this installment of “Voice of Experience,” I am going to discuss the opportunit…
January-February 2026 Q&A
Q: We recently did some contract work in a manhole with live primary cables running through it. During an audit, the client’s safety team cited us for failure to have our manhole workers tied off to rescue lines. We had a tripod up and a winch ready for the three workers. What did we miss?
A: W…
Batteries and the Hazard Communication Standard
Batteries have become a critical component of electric utility operations. Once limited to backup power in substations and control rooms, energy storage now drives innovation across the grid. As use of batteries increases, so does the responsibility to manage the unique chemical and physical hazard…
What’s Your Bucket IQ?
I know a lot about buckets, but it wasn’t until after I hung up my tools that I learned much of what I’m going to share with you in this article.
Background
I was lucky to work as a lineman when I did. The buckets we used at Florida Power & Light through the 1970s were unlined, simple fiber…
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Safety Management
Layer by Layer: Leveraging FR Clothing Systems for Hazard Protection and Comfort
Layering flame-resistant (FR) clothing has long been a best practice among industrial athletes. In addition to providing critical hazard protection, this tried-and-true strategy enhances user comfort by enabling industrial athletes to add or remove clothing layers as their activity level or the wea…
Mental Preparation for Safer Work
Author’s Note: The first part of this five-part series (see https://incident-prevention.com/blog/when-the-system-isnt-enough-how-to-create-personal-motivation-that-saves-lives/) explored the notion of accepting 100% accountability for our safety at work. This article addresses mental preparation to…
Batteries and the Hazard Communication Standard
Batteries have become a critical component of electric utility operations. Once limited to backup power in substations and control rooms, energy storage now drives innovation across the grid. As use of batteries increases, so does the responsibility to manage the unique chemical and physical hazard…
Inspecting the Fifth Wire: Winning the War on Lineworker Suicide
Lineworkers confront daily risks many can’t imagine – arc flashes, falls, electrocutions and more. Yet there’s a silent, insidious threat currently claiming more lives in the electric utility industry than any physical injury.
We’re talking about suicide.
Safety professionals dedicate their c…
Mental Preparation for Safer Work
Author’s Note: The first part of this five-part series (see https://incident-prevention.com/blog/when-the-system-isnt-enough-how-to-create-personal-motivation-that-saves-lives/) explored the notion of accepting 100% accountability for our safety at work. This article addresses mental preparation to…
Batteries and the Hazard Communication Standard
Batteries have become a critical component of electric utility operations. Once limited to backup power in substations and control rooms, energy storage now drives innovation across the grid. As use of batteries increases, so does the responsibility to manage the unique chemical and physical hazard…
Inspecting the Fifth Wire: Winning the War on Lineworker Suicide
Lineworkers confront daily risks many can’t imagine – arc flashes, falls, electrocutions and more. Yet there’s a silent, insidious threat currently claiming more lives in the electric utility industry than any physical injury.
We’re talking about suicide.
Safety professionals dedicate their c…
To expand our collective intelligence and better protect the workforce, we must treat all employee concerns as predictions of unwanted outcomes.
Overcoming Safety’s Blind Spot
“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” -Sir Ken Robinson
Innately curious and hardwired to seek order, humans often grasp onto the latest ideas and inventions that help us satisfy our need to understand the world around us. Don’t believe me? Consider g…
When the System Isn’t Enough: How to Create Personal Motivation That Saves Lives
Author’s Note: In this article – the first in a five-part series – we explore the notion of accepting 100% accountability for our safety at work, just as we do at home. This is an act of self-preservation. The hope is that management’s safety focus will overlap with our own preparation. We want as…
Worksite Safety
Cable Identification and Cutting Safety for Medium-Voltage Splicers
A medium-voltage underground splicer’s ability to safely and correctly identify, test and cut cable is more than part of their job; it is a survival skill. These splicers must be trained to make their first cut remotely – every time – whether performing routine maintenance or responding to an emerg…
Forecasting the Future of Utility Safety: 10 Predictions for 2026 and Beyond
As we stand on the precipice of a new era in the utility sector, it is clear the future holds transformative potential driven by relentless technological progress.
We are already seeing not just small changes but a complete overhaul. The horizon is replete with innovations aimed at redefining sa…
The Evolution of Personal Protective Grounding: Part 2
Part 1 of this article began with discussion of the first American power systems, when lineworkers initially encountered the hazards of working on de-energized lines (see https://incident-prevention.com/blog/the-evolution-of-personal-protective-grounding-part-1/). This led to early personal protect…
‘Avoid Contact’: Correctly Understanding the MAD Without a Distance
For decades, air has been used to effectively and inexpensively maintain phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground clearances of overhead distribution and transmission power lines and electrical equipment. Air’s extremely high resistance offers excellent protection against the passage of current. The grea…
Forecasting the Future of Utility Safety: 10 Predictions for 2026 and Beyond
As we stand on the precipice of a new era in the utility sector, it is clear the future holds transformative potential driven by relentless technological progress.
We are already seeing not just small changes but a complete overhaul. The horizon is replete with innovations aimed at redefining sa…
The Evolution of Personal Protective Grounding: Part 2
Part 1 of this article began with discussion of the first American power systems, when lineworkers initially encountered the hazards of working on de-energized lines (see https://incident-prevention.com/blog/the-evolution-of-personal-protective-grounding-part-1/). This led to early personal protect…
‘Avoid Contact’: Correctly Understanding the MAD Without a Distance
For decades, air has been used to effectively and inexpensively maintain phase-to-phase and phase-to-ground clearances of overhead distribution and transmission power lines and electrical equipment. Air’s extremely high resistance offers excellent protection against the passage of current. The grea…
Managing Overload: An Essential Safety Conversation
When I consider the advancements in the construction industry over the past 20 years, the emphasis on safety is one that immediately stands out. Today, we continue to strive to elevate our safety awareness, knowledge, training and program development – but that is only one side of the coin. On the other side, our workforce is experiencing concerning rates of turnover, burnout, mental exhaustion and suicide.
But how can this be our reality if our jobsites have become safer in recent decades?
The answer is directly tied to the way we manage overload. To help explain this, let’s look at th…
6 Seasonal Strategies for Worker Well-Being
The holiday season is a time for family and celebration, but it is also one of the busiest times of year. Stress can easily creep in, creating safety hazards at work and at home. Staying mentally alert and focused during this period is key to preventing incidents.
Personal finances are among the…
Redefining Accountability in Utility Operations
If you spend enough time in the safety world, you’ll notice something about the word “accountability”: everyone uses it and claims to value it. If you listen closely to safety-related conversations, you’ll also discover that accountability means different things to different people.
For some, it…
