Open the trench, vault or manhole. Strip back the jacket. Expose the neutrals. Remove the semicon and insulation. Crimp the connector. Rebuild the conductor shield, insulation and semicon. Seal the outside. This splicing routine eventually becomes second nature for medium-voltage cable splicers, which can make some workdays feel like a rote checklist to slog through. But each procedural step exists to help ensure precision electrical devices are competently dismantled and rebuilt. Reliable execution is more likely when splicers understand the logic at the root of each step. This article ex…

Utilities are investing millions of dollars in drones, automated monitoring systems and artificial intelligence applications. These tools offer unprecedented safety and operational advantages as grid complexities evolve – assuming crews willingly use them as intended. New technology should make it safer and easier for frontline workers to execute their tasks, particularly when stressed or fatigued. Deploying drones to conduct post-storm inspections, for instance, keeps workers safely distanced from hazardous areas while potentially speeding up triage efforts. Digital pre-job briefing forms…

The previous articles in this series examined two factors that strongly influence personal safety. Accountability is the idea that meaningful improvement begins when workers accept responsibility for their own safety decisions. Through mental preparation, workers gain an understanding of the ways in which temperament, emotional triggers and habits affect their judgment under pressure. This article builds on those concepts by addressing spiritual preparation, a third factor not nearly as commonly discussed that nevertheless plays a critical role in how people behave on the job. Spiritual…

In safety management, data is often treated as objective truth. Leaders use incident rates, near-miss reports, injury trends and predictive models to guide them as they prioritize risk and allocate organizational resources. Yet data can quietly mislead us, particularly when bias is embedded in what we collect and our measurement and interpretation methods. Effective, ethical safety leaders continuously work to recognize and address these distortions. Exploring Various Biases A widely cited World War II-era example illustrates the dangers of biased data. During the war, Allied forces st…

I’m not sure how I became an analyst. It wasn’t something I planned for. Various types of analyst roles exist, but I primarily analyze incidents, breaking down and studying the elements of events to identify causes and effects. Incident analysis, done well, ultimately helps prevent undesired future outcomes. Over the last 15 years, I have analyzed a half-dozen apprentice training yard accidents and watched two videos of apprentice-involved incidents. These events are reminders that lineworkers frequently learn their lessons the hard way. I continue striving to change that fact because – fa…

Our industry’s frontline workers are commonly promoted to supervisory positions in rapid fashion. Some struggle with the transition as they discover that their new role involves far more than increased compensation, a fancier title and the keys to a company pickup truck. This installment of “Voice of Experience” addresses important points about lineworker leadership transitions learned through my decades of professional experience. What Prompts Worker Promotions? Lineworkers are not necessarily promoted based on their years of field experience or company seniority. Often, the move is both…

Q: Why does an EPZ pole connection need to be close to the worker’s feet? A: In an equipotential arrangement, if the bus is inadvertently energized, the length of the bonding cable from the grounded conductors to the structure will affect the voltage across the worker. The worker is only exposed if they contact the phases and the structure at the same time. This is also the case with neutrals floating at a distribution pole and a static on an insulator or swinging clevis at the top of a transmission structure. If they are not electrically bonded to the pole or structure, lethal potential…

Discipline equals freedom. That’s a leadership dichotomy that Jocko Willink and Leif Babin address in Chapter 12 of their book “Extreme Ownership.” Similarly, in the Bible, just before instructing the Ephesians to don their spiritual armor, Paul urges Christians to live disciplined lives according to the Ten Commandments “so … that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (see Ephesians 6:3). He then lists six pieces of spiritual armor that will help them stand up to the devil’s schemes: the belt of truth; breastplate of righteousness; feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel…

It’s 2 a.m. on an early fall day in Northern California’s Sierra foothills. The winter rains haven’t arrived yet. A large tree limb in the area snaps and falls on a distribution line, triggering a fault powerful enough to trip circuit breakers at a substation 15 miles away. Alarms sound in the company’s control center. At this time of year, daytime temperatures can still reach into the 90s and fire conditions still exist. The utility knows something has failed, but they don’t know what – or where. It’s dark outside when dispatch notifies the troubleshooters; the sun won’t be up for another…

In the nearly 15 years I’ve worked in the electric utility industry, I’ve witnessed life-altering injuries and helped to bury more than one coworker-turned-friend. The toughest part for me to accept is knowing that most of those injuries and deaths were preventable. We were well-trained. Our compliance systems and paperwork were in place. Yet we still failed our brothers and sisters. That reality should eat at all of us because our industry could have done better then – and we should be doing better now. We must face the truth that not all safety methods work as intended. Without adjust…

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 th…

Layering flame-resistant (FR) clothing has long been a best practice among industrial athletes. In addition to providing critical hazard protection, this tried-and-true strategy enhances user comfort by enabling industrial athletes to add or remove clothing layers as their activity level or the weather changes. Base, middle and outer FR layers are equally important. Each serves its own purpose, so it is wise for lineworkers to own all three types. Base Layer: Moisture Management This next-to-skin garment layer wicks moisture away from the body, a function that becomes especially import…

A medium-voltage underground splicer’s ability to safely and correctly identify, test and cut cable is more than part of their job; it is a survival skill. These splicers must be trained to make their first cut remotely – every time – whether performing routine maintenance or responding to an emergency, even when the cable has been tested and grounded. This approach ensures the worker is safely out of harm’s way if residual or unexpected energy remains in the system. Procedural Development and Training Proper cable identification supports operational efficiency, helping to minimize outage…

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” -Sir Ken Robinson Innately curious and hardwired to seek order, humans often grasp onto the latest ideas and inventions that help us satisfy our need to understand the world around us. Don’t believe me? Consider geocentricism, or the now-obsolete belief that the Earth is the center of the universe. In earlier millennia, we followed herds of animals as they migrated, all of us sleeping under the stars. Our ancestors knew the night sky better than many of us do today. As they watched their world revolve aro…

Author’s Note: The first part of this five-part series (see https://incident-prevention.com/blog/when-the-system-isnt-enough-how-to-create-personal-motivation-that-saves-lives/) explored the notion of accepting 100% accountability for our safety at work. This article addresses mental preparation to reduce risk of serious injuries and fatalities. Part three will cover spiritual health, with a focus on clarifying and leveraging our own deeply held beliefs. ***** Combat had endless tests, and one of the worst sins was “chattering” on the radio, which was reserved for essential messages; loose…