Don’t Cross That Line
In this installment of “Voice of Experience,” I am going to share a safety perspective that struck a real chord with me when someone offered it during a recent meeting. My goal in passing it along during this season of reflection is to prompt readers to contemplate and continue refining their safe work practices.
From the time we are born, we learn about the world in various ways, often in the form of instructions about what we should and should not do. Our parents forbid us from crossing the street without their assistance. We are warned to keep our hands away from hot stovetops. Even before learning to read, we begin to observe and understand visual cues – for instance, a child riding in a car seat might notice different types of lines on the roadways (e.g., a single dotted white line, two solid yellow lines). Such instructions and cues provide details about our surroundings to help us make safer, more informed choices.
As teenagers, many of us learn to operate a car and undergo testing to earn a driver’s license. It would make sense, then, for us to increasingly respect the rules of the road – including those white and yellow lines we noticed well before we were permitted behind the wheel – as we accrue more driving experience. After all, we must protect not only our personal safety but the well-being of our passengers, pedestrians and other motorists. Yet in 2023, U.S. Department of Transportation data tells us that more than 40,000 people were fatally injured on American roadways (see www.transportation.gov/NRSS/SafetyProblem).
Safety vs. Potential Peril
Let’s talk about a different type of line for a moment. Have you ever heard someone in politics or business warn others against crossing a proverbial line in the sand? That is highly likely; it is not an uncommon statement.
When the individual at the meeting I attended shared his safety perspective, what sprang to mind was the industry-specific line in the sand that we can almost always spot on any given jobsite. It is the line that divides a worker’s physical safety from their potential peril.
In terms of line work, where do you think that line in the sand should be, particularly for energized work? A student enrolled in an accredited lineworker development program must complete four to seven years of training to graduate; by the time they finish, they almost certainly know the line’s precise location. But all lineworker development programs are not created equal, nor do testing and proficiency demonstrations always adequately assess whether an employee has received the requisite training. These inconsistencies are significant contributors to incidents that continue to seriously injure and kill our brothers and sisters. Employees who had served the industry for less than three years at their time of death account for far too many of the cases I have investigated during my career.
As I noted earlier, the dividing line between worker safety and potential peril is visible at nearly every jobsite – but only if we are willing to look. On one side of the line, we are guided by regulatory standards and industry best practices; on the other, employees engage in hazardous and even illegal work practices. Here is my question to you: In recent months, how close to that line have you been standing? If you were to cross it, do you truly understand what could happen? Would you be prepared to handle the full weight of any adverse consequences? Because the fact is, workers cross the line every day. And each year, dozens of our brothers and sisters pay the price with their lives.
You may be wondering if there is a specific reason why so many employees cross the line into unsafe work practices. Investigations often determine that an incident stemmed from intentional choices made by an inadequately trained worker or crew who lacked sufficient management oversight. This is why it is paramount for every worker to be appropriately trained on each task they will be required to perform, including the prescribed way to complete it, the reasons it must be done in that specific order, and what happens if any steps are transposed or omitted.
Conclusion
Legally, morally and ethically, standing on the safety side of the line is the right thing to do. Let’s vow to step as far back from that line as possible rather than standing the closest we can without crossing over. We are human, so mistakes will be made; we must give ourselves room to fail safely instead of teetering on the edge of possible catastrophe.
As we head into 2026, I urge you to reflect on the past 12 months and evaluate your performance. Did you cross the line between safety and potential peril, or perhaps find yourself working right up against it? If so, what will you do differently tomorrow to increase your distance – and your margin of safety?
About the Author: Danny Raines, CUSP, is an author, an OSHA-authorized trainer, and a transmission and distribution safety consultant who retired from Georgia Power after 40 years of service and now operates Raines Utility Safety Solutions LLC.
Learn more from Danny Raines on the Utility Safety Podcast series. Listen now at https://utilitysafety.podbean.com!