Stepping into a safety leadership role is an exciting time, one often accompanied by feelings of anxiety. New leaders just learning the ropes may question their ability to guide others, particularly workers with decades of field experience.
But transitions rarely begin with certainty. Moving from a field position to a safety role, for instance, changes the way we view the work. Procedures are no longer merely documents but an ongoing commitment to protect human lives. We can hone our safety leadership skills and cultivate confidence by consistently showing up for, listening to and working…
Utility work zones often place serious hazards on the same strip of pavement as your crew. Where a driver observes another row of traffic cones, a worker sees the hard edge of their worksite. Danger lurks in the space between those two perspectives.
Fortunately, industry employers can take three steps to reduce this risk. Begin with identifying site-specific hazards that could generate significant injuries. Build a traffic control plan (TCP) with those hazards in mind. Then, as needed, integrate tools and technology into the company’s field practices that are designed to calm and redirect…
The cable splicer’s role in the utility industry has broadened over time. Today, splicing work is performed by electricians, lineworkers and technicians, as well as individuals who have successfully completed manufacturer training programs. And while it’s true that many of these professionals are highly qualified within their respective disciplines, earning the journeyman cable splicer title demands more than just the act of splicing.
Journeymen splicers have the requisite training and field experience to safely install, maintain, test, troubleshoot, repair and operate medium-voltage and n…
The NFPA 70E standard addresses electrical safety-related work practices, maintenance methods and administrative controls. It is subject to three-year revision cycles, with the recently published 2027 edition now replacing the 2024 edition.
Among the changes to the revised standard is one small but significant update to the conformity assessment requirements for arc-rated clothing and other personal protective equipment. Readers should be aware that the text is relatively easy to miss in the new edition, yet it has potential to greatly impact the arc-rated PPE marketplace. Also note that w…
Artificial intelligence is rapidly finding its way into the utility sector, with industry organizations exploring how it can be used to identify hazards, analyze incident trends, summarize procedures and support planning activities. These capabilities offer exciting opportunities yet also prompt uncertainty. Today’s lineworkers, electricians, mechanics, operators and other trade employees are understandably questioning whether AI will eventually replace the experience and judgment that they have worked years to develop.
The short answer is no. AI will not replace skilled employees – assumi…
Successful safety leadership requires strong interpersonal skills, including the capacity to develop effective working relationships. Various issues can affect the quality of these connections. We are best served by leaving some (e.g., politics, religion) mostly out of the workplace. Others stir our passions but likely do not matter as much as we think they do. And then there is the topic of generational differences, which we would be remiss to ignore given its level of divisiveness in the workplace.
The following jobsite interaction between a baby boomer and a Gen Z employee illustrates t…
During a recent Sunday service, my pastor spoke about problems faced by our country’s churches. I was struck by the similar challenges we face in the electric utility industry.
For instance, both churches and utilities see some of the same types of events recur each year. Our industry’s serious injury and fatality rates have essentially flatlined for more than a decade; in other words, we have made no meaningful progress in reducing these numbers. Excuses are made but little changes. Why?
That is a complex question to answer, but it is one we cannot ignore. So, in this installment of “V…
Editor’s note: In the following account, a bucket truck wreck blocks the only active traffic lane on an icy New York highway, posing an immediate safety threat. Nothing in this account should be considered professional crash response guidance. Readers should understand that untrained individuals who move crash victims could unintentionally cause them further injury.
While driving on St. Patrick’s Day this year, I discovered part of the New York State Thruway had been reduced to a single traffic lane due to icy conditions. I briefly considered taking the back roads instead, but heavy loca…
A lineman’s work was relatively straightforward in the early days of our trade: We built power lines with wire and poles, making sure the big end of each pole went into the ground first.
Now, as I begin my 35th year in electric distribution, the line crew work environment is rapidly evolving. An especially concerning change is the uptick in hostile threats and violent acts perpetrated against utility workers in the field. Recognizing and adapting to this change is critical to the well-being of our frontline workforce.
In CPL 02-01-058, “Enforcement Procedures and Scheduling for Occupati…
This series explores five personal practices of safety excellence, including steps each of us can take to become as safe as possible.
The first article in the series was a reminder that we have personal accountability and agency in safety – enough to stop work and even walk off the job if conditions are unsafe. We focused on mental preparation in the second article, exploring how our impulsive tendencies influence performance under pressure. Article three examined spiritual health, which requires each of us to develop a personal system to ensure that our work aligns with our deeply held…
Transmission line construction is one of the most complex and politically sensitive infrastructure endeavors in the United States. Crews routinely work across dozens and sometimes hundreds of distinct land parcels, navigating a patchwork of easement rights, property histories and landowner temperaments. What happens when that navigation breaks down isn’t always a polite conversation at the fence line.
In one documented incident in the Upper Midwest, a 12-member utility project team conducting a formal, scheduled right-of-way walkdown was confronted by a landowner wearing a bulletproof vest…
Walk through any industrial environment and you’ll hear familiar messaging: “Be proactive.” “Own safety.” “Follow the procedure.” Then step into the boardroom, where the conversation shifts to yield, uptime, injuries and cost.
We coach people on behaviors yet judge them based on outcomes, sending mixed signals to the frontline workers at the sharp end of the stick. People tend to rally faster and stay aligned longer when we direct them toward a clear goal and support it with a few nonnegotiable guidelines or guardrails. Most disappointment lies within the gap between what leaders expected…
The concept of mental toughness has long been embedded in high-risk industries. Workers are often taught to push through adversity, remain focused under pressure and get the job done regardless of circumstances. Utility crews, construction teams, first responders, military personnel and countless others routinely face demanding conditions that require determination, discipline and perseverance.
The ability to stay focused during difficult situations is undeniably valuable; it has helped workers perform well for generations. A challenge arises, however, when mental toughness is deemed the o…
At NASCAR’s Talladega Superspeedway, Daytona International Speedway and Pocono Raceway, there is always talk of “The Big One” – a wreck that often characterizes the three-hour, 200-mph, 40-car races on three-lane-wide ovals. Of course, The Big One doesn’t happen at every race, which could be due to luck or preparation, planning and skill. When it does happen, human error is almost always the cause. Sometimes, The Big One injures or kills people who were simply trying to do their jobs.
Whether you’re a NASCAR fan or not, you’ve probably noticed some parallels between racing and utility work…
I’m so pleased that we now have various social media platforms to recognize lineworkers for the critical services they provide, not to mention the sacrifices they make to do so. When I worked storms in the 1960s and ’70s, my crewmates and I rarely received more than the occasional note of appreciation from a customer, tucked inside our paycheck envelopes. It wasn’t difficult to feel unappreciated given the time we spent away from our families helping to restore power for others. Today we live in a different world. More than once, I’ve found myself wishing we had a social media outlet during m…
