Why Haven’t We Moved the Needle?

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 “Voice of Experience,” we will work our way through what I consider some of the industry’s most glaring issues, using a mnemonic device – P R O B L E M – to guide us.

P is for Persistent and Predictable
Each year in the U.S., we lose about 25 to 30 members of our workforce to fatal incidents. Many are electrical contacts; vehicle accidents are another common cause. In the wake of any catastrophic incident, we must ask ourselves: Could we have taken additional precautions to decrease its severity? What will we do better or differently next time?

R is for Root Cause Identification
Years ago, a company asked my opinion about the cause of an electrical contact on one of their sites. I read the incident report and spoke with crew members; photos also provided some clarity. But because the company had not determined the incident’s root cause, leadership was unable to identify and implement effective corrective actions. I believe this is one simple reason why we see incidents repeat themselves.

O is for Obeying the Rules … Sometimes
Countless incident investigations have revealed that employees do not always comply with industry regulatory standards or their employer’s work practices. Training is forgotten or disregarded. Equipment isn’t properly inspected due to time constraints or other perceived obstacles. How do we resolve these problems? Assigning dedicated observers in the field is a good start. What else?

B is for Brother and Sister’s Keeper
I have heard “I am my brother and sister’s keeper” countless times throughout my 57-year career, so here is an honest question: How is that working out for everyone? Given the number of electrical trade employees hurt and killed across the country each year, it is well past time for us to individually and collectively determine what we can do – and what we must stop doing – to prevent further harm.

L is for Lineworkers
The foreman or foreman’s supervisor can only be in one place at one time. Thus, it is not uncommon to put a journeyman lineworker in charge of accomplishing work. Assuming that continuous improvement is one of our goals, we must assess whether changes are needed to improve lineworker oversight skills. I was deeply concerned to discover during a recent fatality investigation that no dedicated observers had been assigned to the job. Crew members were distracted by their smartphones at the time of the incident.

E is for Eyes and Ears
Employees may not hear or listen to all the job plan details during the job briefing. As a result, they could struggle to see the big picture or lack safety-critical information. Solving this problem requires us to first identify the underlying reasons for these communication gaps and then develop effective solutions.

M is for Macho
One thing that has given me pause in recent years is the macho commentary that some journeymen linemen post to social media. It is certainly true that we confront a greater number of hazards in our daily work than the average American; many of us have been doing so for years. But we must keep in mind that any statement, photo or video we post to social media sites has the potential to influence apprentices and junior lineworkers. We can be proud of our skills and work experiences while safely educating and encouraging industry newcomers.

30 Years Later
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Electric Power Research Institute tabulated data for a 10-year period starting in the 1990s, ultimately determining that the electric utility industry suffered 24 to 28 fatalities each year. These statistics are 30 years old, yet they have not changed much. About 30 of our brothers and sisters were mortally wounded in 2025; this year appears to be on a similar trajectory. Even with better tools, equipment and training than ever, a primary flash or contact occurs roughly once a week somewhere in the U.S.

One thing you may have noticed is that today’s crew foremen are often younger and less experienced than they were 15 or 20 years ago. The industry’s growing need for lineworkers means junior employees are increasingly expected to operate as experienced journeymen. At one time, severe on-the-job incidents often involved a company’s senior field employees. Now, it is not uncommon for them to wound or kill our least experienced workers, as with the case of a 20-year-old apprentice lineman who recently lost his life.

Honor, Action and Accountability
Asking ourselves what we can do to resolve our industry’s problems is nothing short of an existential question. Now is the time for us to answer and act. Let’s honor each of our fallen brothers and sisters and their families by taking the steps necessary to prevent future catastrophic events.

Time, care and accountability are the greatest requirements. We must thoroughly plan each job – which includes developing a backup strategy – then methodically execute every step. Before energized work begins, we must ensure appropriate hazard controls are in place. And we cannot neglect to assign dedicated observers to scan for concerns as tasks are performed. A few words of caution have the power to change outcomes.

The problems our industry faces in the modern era can feel overwhelming. There is no doubt about that. But we also have an ongoing opportunity to solve them – together. From this moment forward, let’s choose to take full advantage of that.

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!