In the first part of this six-part series, I discussed the reasons why it’s important for utility organizations to develop safety systems that align their safety initiatives. This article will address employee involvement, an often overlooked yet fundamental component of any effective safety system. According to ANSI/ASSP Z10, “Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems,” the phrase “employee involvement” refers to the active participation of workers in the planning, implementation, evaluation and improvement of an organization’s occupational health and safety management system (OHS…

I’ve written about equipotential grounding for Incident Prevention magazine dozens of times over the past 15 years, both in this column and in the Q&A. Those articles have had thousands of views on Incident Prevention’s website, which suggests that their messaging should be getting through to industry employers and lineworkers – but my experience says otherwise. As I’ve mentioned in past articles, my consulting work includes serving as an expert witness in the litigation of both OSHA and civil cases. I’ve consulted on more than 40 cases overall; currently, I have 16 open fatality cases…

The pastor of the church I attend recently delivered a sermon that deeply resonated with me and inspired the title of this article. Around that time, I’d been ruminating on some incidents I was investigating as part of my consulting work. I’d read the accident reports and conducted employee interviews, all the while wondering why these events were given the opportunity to occur. Then I heard the pastor’s well-timed sermon and was reminded once more that what’s going on – or not going on – in a worker’s mind can significantly impact their personal safety and the safety of others. Fallibilit…

Q: I’m a municipal utility substation engineer, and I’m hoping you can help me with this question: Does an engineer taking photos in a substation fall under the OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269 work rules? A: The simple answer is yes. No matter your training or education, if you must be inside the fence to take the photos, you are required to meet the 1910.269(a)(2) qualification standards. The error people often make is assuming a degreed engineer is automatically exempt from the (a)(2) standards. The issue is found in the employer requirement to ensure the employee’s qualification. Educational de…

If you’re like me, you’ve only encountered sheep at a petting zoo, so here’s a fun fact about them: sheep have rectangular pupils. I included that to make sure you learn something today and to challenge us to explore other sheep characteristics and what we can learn from sheep-shepherd relationships. In doing so, we’ll use the C5 safety leadership model from the Incident Prevention Institute’s Frontline training program to establish what it means to be a good shepherd and then apply that understanding to enhance our roles as safety leaders. Sheep and Shepherds Sheep are valuable assets th…

Lineworkers are accustomed to hearing that they must completely focus on the task they’re performing. For safety reasons, staying fully present and mentally focused on the work at hand is critical in the high-stakes, hazardous environments these employees often find themselves in. Maintaining full focus for an extended length of time is the goal to strive for – but realistically, that doesn’t align with how the human brain works. An individual can be easily distracted, especially when experiencing personal or professional difficulties. Distractions impair a person’s ability to perform at t…

When we think about the word “consequences,” we typically consider it in terms of unwanted outcomes; consequences are “bad.” But they can also be good, the desired outcomes of specific, targeted actions. And then there are those times when an action’s consequences seem good – yet they have unexpected, adverse side effects that may go unrecognized until an injury occurs. This is precisely the case with rubber gloves. For two decades, I have been warning our industry that overuse of rubber gloves can result in damage to workers’ hands. I knew this was a possibility because of my own hand…

It’s a little late to say Happy New Year, but I still want to wish all of you a fantastic and safe 2025. One of my hopes for this year is that I won’t be asked to investigate another incident or fatality – because we’ll all work together to ensure they never occur. We’ve had more than enough injuries and deaths in our industry’s history, including just this past year. That’s why I want to ask each person reading this to make sure you’re taking the time needed to perform your tasks safely. We must continue the important work of preventing incidents and strive to significantly lower serious…

Working in a high-voltage environment means working in a high-risk environment. Doing so demands technical expertise, attention to detail and unwavering focus. When your mind wanders in such an environment – even for a split second – the consequences can be catastrophic. Understanding the High-Risk Environment Whether it’s in a power generation plant, a substation, or a transmission or distribution setting, a high-voltage environment is inherently hazardous. Workers are routinely exposed to electrical potential that can cause severe electric shocks, arc flashes and burns. Equipment mainte…