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 three commonly understood areas – exercise science, electrical energy and mental health – that require proper overload management to yield the greatest benefits.
1. Exercise Science: Progressive Overload and Rest
The roots of exercise science are often traced to the story of Milo of Croton, an ancient Greek athlete. As a young boy, Milo carried a small calf on his shoulders each day. The two grew together, and after years of consistent effort, Milo was carrying a full-grown bull. His strength had increased in direct proportion to the bull’s growth.
Modern exercise science recognizes progressive overload as fundamental, with workouts intentionally designed to incrementally increase the stress placed on targeted muscles over time. Muscle will not experience hypertrophy or gain functional strength unless it has been pushed beyond its current limitations.
However, intentional stress must also have a limit. That is because muscle growth occurs in a state of rest and recovery, not in the moment of overload. If the muscle never rests, growth will be minimal or even regressive. Thus, overload must be managed properly, with an emphasis on rest, to reduce injury and achieve muscle growth.
2. Electrical Energy: Fixed Limits and Preventive Maintenance
Electrical energy is a largely unobservable force that is generated, transmitted and distributed via observable components. Each component of an electrical circuit must be capable of safely withstanding the demands placed upon it. When calculating system load, keep the components’ known limitations in mind to avoid creating an overload condition.
Electrical components, unlike the human body, do not benefit from progressive overload. They have a fixed failure point, where load demand exceeds rated capacity. Both electrical and mechanical components depend on preventive maintenance for safe, reliable operation.
Preventive maintenance programs have become standard practice in the utility sector, helping to ensure functionality and longevity. Inspections and repairs must only be done after electrical components have been verified as de-energized. Once again, overload is properly managed through deliberate rest.
3. Mental Health: Neuroplasticity Needs Recovery
The human brain is remarkable, in part because of its neuroplasticity, or the capacity to adapt in response to stimuli. The new neural connections created when the brain experiences stress are neuroplasticity at work. Moderate stress can drive positive adaptation and growth; unrelenting levels have the opposite effect.
As with exercise science and electrical energy, rest is essential here. The brain’s stress load must be relieved to allow neuroplasticity to produce positive, sustainable change – instead of damage. In other words, rest is how mitigation is achieved.
Where Do We Go From Here?
In 2026, we understand more than ever about exercise science, electrical energy and mental health. We know we cannot train our muscles all day if we want them to grow, and we understand that electrical system reliability depends on scheduled, de-energized maintenance. We have also begun to admit that the human brain is no different. Under constant load, and without real recovery, it will fail.
We are making huge strides in physical safety, too. Guards, personal protective equipment, procedures and programs are better than they have ever been. But when it comes to the human side of safety, we are merely at the starting line. Chronic overload experienced by our foremen, supervisors and managers is quietly eroding the very performance we are asking them to deliver. This must become a safety conversation.
Progressive overload is a powerful tool for building skills, knowledge and capability – but only when it is paired with deliberate rest and preventive maintenance. On the job, that means we must watch for early signs of mental fatigue, normalize the use of support resources, and give our key people time and space to recover.
We will always need power for our electrical systems and productivity for our projects, but we cannot forget the simplest truth of all: In the electric utility industry, safety isn’t just about the energy we lock out. It’s also about recognizing when our employees have reached maximum overload and then effectively responding to prevent them from experiencing burnout or worse.
About the Author: Rob Duplain is a superintendent for Virginia-based Miller Electric Co. A former police officer and graduate of Taylor University who earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology, he joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in 2010.