Incident Prevention Utility Safety Podcast

Special Episode: Talking Lineworker Training & Safety with Tim Vassios

December 15, 2021

Incident Prevention went to Indianola, Iowa to check out a brand new training facility that the Missouri Valley Line Constructors just built to help train tomorrow’s lineworkers on how to safely do the work. In this podcast, Tim Vassios tells us all about how the training process works and why safety is such a vital part of it.

20 min. with Tim Vassios

Special USOLN Episode: An Interview with the Very First CUSP All-Star, Denver DeWees from Farmington Electric

July 29, 2021

In this episode, we sat down to chat with Denver to learn more about the process of becoming a CUSP and how it has helped him achieve more in his career as a utility safety professional.

20 min. with Denver DeWees

Utility Safety Voice of Experience: Installing Fiber Optic Cable in Electrical Supply Spaces

January 25, 2022

In this episode, Danny offers listeners additional commentary on “Installing Fiber Optic Cable in Electrical Supply Spaces,” which he wrote about in the December 2021-January 2022 issue of Incident Prevention magazine. You can read the article at https://bit.ly/fiberopticinelectrical.

20 min. with Danny Raines

Utility Safety Voice of Experience with Danny Raines: System Grounding for Worker Protection Against Induced Voltages

September 23, 2021

In this episode, Danny offers listeners additional commentary on “System Grounding for Worker Protection Against Induced Voltages,” which he wrote about in the June-July 2021 issue of Incident Prevention magazine. You can read the article at https://bit.ly/systemgrounding.

20 min. with Danny Raines

Utility Safety Voice of Experience with Danny Raines: Overhead Line Work, Then and Now

June 2, 2021

In this episode, Danny offers listeners additional commentary on “Overhead Line Work, Then and Now,” which he wrote about in the June-July 2021 issue of Incident Prevention magazine. You can read the article at https://incident-prevention.com/ip-articles/overhead-line-work-then-and-now.

20 min. with Danny Raines

Utility Safety Voice of Experience with Danny Raines: Who is in Charge of System Operations?

April 19, 2021

In this episode, Danny provides additional views and perspectives from his April-May 2021 column called “System Operations: Who’s In Charge?” You can read this article by going to incident-prevention.com. Let’s join Danny to learn why it’s important to slow down, or even stop work, when something doesn’t seem right about the job.

20 min. with Danny Raines

Utility Safety Voice of Experience with Danny Raines: My Male Breast Cancer Survivor Story

March 5, 2021

American entrepreneur Jim Rohn once said, “Take care of your body; it’s the only place you have to live.” In this episode, we talk about a different type of safety than we usually do—and that safety revolves around personal health and the dangers of a less-talked-about cancer: male breast cancer.

20 min. with Danny Raines

Utility Safety Voice of Experience with Danny Raines: Understanding Lone Worker Limitations

January 26, 2021

Welcome to an all-new podcast based on Incident Prevention magazine’s popular column called the Voice of Experience, written by Danny Raines, CUSP. Danny worked for Georgia Power for 40 years and has been consulting and educating utilities and utility contractors ever since. He’s been one of the most popular speakers at the iP Utility Safety Conference & Expo our annual conferences and at iP Institute’s online webinar education events.

We’re excited to bring Danny’s extensive knowledge and experience to our podcast by launching this Voice of Experience channel. We hope you will join us as Danny provides utility safety and operations professionals like you with impactful insights and observations.

In this episode, Danny talks in greater detail about lone worker limitations, a subject he covered in his column for the December 2020-January 2021 issue of Incident Prevention magazine.This podcast is published by the team at Incident Prevention magazine. Learn more at incident-prevention.com/podcasts.

Utility Safety Solutions: Learn How Intellishift’s Telematics and AI Camera Solutions are Improving Utility Fleet Safety

April 19, 2022

Kurt reports in from the NAFA conference where he met up with Intellishift’s Jordan Kittle to talk all about how the company is making innovative technology solutions that improve utility fleet safety as well as a conversation about a celebrity encounter with LeBron James.

20 min. with Intellishift’s Jordan Kittle

Utility Safety Solutions: Talking Traffic Safety with Traffix Devices

March 24, 2022

Kurt Moreland reports live from the American Traffic Safety Services Association show where he talks all about utility traffic safety solutions with representatives from Traffix Devices. From cones and attenuators to barrels and flashing devices, you’ll learn about tools that can help your team stay safer on the roads. And, the Traffix Devices team even shares an amusing celebrity encounter story involving a famous Dallas quarterback.

20 min. with Traffix Devices team

Utility Safety Solutions: Talking with Telelink about Their Lone Worker Monitoring and Incident Response Solution

February 25, 2022

Kurt Moreland sits down to talk with Laura Fudge from Telelink about how a monitoring and incident response solution for lone utility workers can help increase safety and save lives. They also talk about how the monitoring has been a vital safety solution for Newfoundland Hydro and even have fun talking about a celebrity encounter with Bill Nye, the Science Guy.

20 min. with Laura Fudge

Utility Safety Solutions: Ronan’s Innovative Battery-Powered Ascender Device

January 26, 2022

Join Kurt Moreland on the expo floor at the Tree Care Industry Expo where he talks about an innovative new safety product with Ronin Revolution Company CEO Bryan Bertrand. Learn about how Ronin’s battery-powered ascender device helps utility workers ascend towers and other structures with the ease of a automated hoist device.

20 min. with Bryan Bertrand

Utility Safety Solutions: Talking Safety with Terex Utilities

January 18, 2022

Incident Prevention magazine’s Associate Publisher Kurt Moreland stopped by the Terex Utilities newly expanded and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to talk with Joe Caywood, the Director of Marketing for Terex Utilities. Joe talks about how Terex is focused on safety for its customers and for its own employees as well as some tails about mountain lion encounters.

20 min. with Joe Caywood

Utility Safety Solutions: Talking about FR Products & Apparel with NASCO

December 2, 2021

On a recent road trip, Incident Prevention magazine’s Associate Publisher Kurt Moreland stopped by the NASCO headquarters to talk FR shop with Andrew Wirts, the Sales & Marketing Director for NASCO. Andrew talks about how NASCO is working to make FR rainwear more comfortable, how they are improving safety for utility workers through better reflective trim placement and even a celebrity-encounter story with John Cougar Mellencamp.

20 min. with Andrew Wirts

Utility Safety Solutions: Celebrating JL Matthews‘ 75th Anniversary

October 5, 2021

In this special episode of Utility Safety Solutions, Kurt talks with Danny Matthews and Jennifer Matthews from JL Matthews to discuss their 75th Anniversary at their celebration event in Fort Worth, Texas.

20 min. with Danny Matthews

Utility Safety Solutions: An Innovative Hard Hat Illumination Device that Improves Visibility & Worker Visibility

August 13, 2021

When it comes to visibility at night, safety is impacted in two ways. Workers have to be able to clearly see what they are working on. And, workers need to be visible to others around them. That’s where the Halo SL comes in, a sleek—yet extremely bright—lamp that snaps right on to a safety helmet. Kurt Moreland sits down with Max Baker from ILLUMAGEAR to talk about the Halo SL and how it improves worksite safety!

20 min. with Max Baker

Utility Safety Solutions: A New Underground Cable Tool that Improves Ergonomics and Efficiency

July 2, 2021

We always love when we see lineworkers out in the field invent new products and solutions that make the job safer and more efficient! This is why Kurt Moreland invited to this episode of the podcast Ben Schwartz from Linehand’s Choice—a lineman who, along with his team, invented an excellent new tool that greatly increases the ergonomic safety and efficiency of working with underground cable.

20 min. with Ben Schwartz

Utility Safety Solutions: Talking About a New RFID Product and a Recent Acquisition

May 27, 2021

Kurt Moreland sits down with Jelco’s Kat Lea to discuss an exciting new radio-frequency identification tag product — EZE Track — which will offer utilities the ability to track all of their products and product records, inspection logs and instruction manuals via cloud-based technology. Kurt and Kat also talk about Jelco’s acquisition of Elk River Inc.

20 min. with Kat Lea

Utility Safety Solutions: An On-Helmet Detector that Alerts Your Workers to Electrocution Hazards

March 5, 2021

The unique aspect about electricity that makes it so dangerous is that, by most accounts, it is not easily detected through one’s sense of sight or sound. In this episode, we sit down with lineman trainer Brady Hansen of Safeguard Equipment, who tells us about an innovative utility safety product designed to act as a “sixth sense” for workers by providing an on-helmet audio/visual alert system for voltage and current detection.

20 min. with Brady Hansen

Utility Safety Solutions: An Innovative New Tool that Removes the Danger of Cutting Underground Primary Cables

February 23, 2021

We caught up with Ryan Berg from Greenlee to learn about their innovative remote cutter tool that puts the worker at a safe distance when cutting primary underground cables. Ryan tells all about the safety aspects of the cutter and many of the other safety initiatives happening at Greenlee–and he’ll even share a tale about his celebrity encounter with a member of popular rock band, Cheap Trick!

20 min. with Ryan Berg

Utility Safety Solutions: Cold Weather Strategies with Ty Fenton from Safety One Training

January 29, 2021

Cold weather is dangerous. Being prepared for extreme weather is vital for utility workers who must endure harshly cold weather. We caught up with Ty Fenton from Safety One Training to get some important insights and strategies on how you can make sure your workers are ready for the conditions.

Utility Safety Solutions is a podcast that provides utility safety and ops professionals with an in-depth look at innovative products, services and strategies that help reduce incidents and increase safety success. Incident Prevention Associate Publisher Kurt Moreland looks for the most exciting and timely solutions happening in the industry right now and sits down to talk with the folks who bring those products to you. Utility Safety Solutions is published by the team at Incident Prevention magazine. Learn more at incident-prevention.com/podcasts.

20 min. with Ty Fenton

Talking Heat Illness & Injury Prevention with Mike Starner

May 9, 2022

Utility Safety In Depth host Kate Wade welcomes Mike Starner, CUSP, to take a deeper dive into the article Starner wrote for the April/May 2022 issue of Incident Prevention, titled “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention: Past, Present and Future.” In this episode, the two discuss the impact of climate change on worker safety, OSHA’s proposed rulemaking for heat injury and illness prevention, and more.

20 min. with Mike Starner from National Electrical Contractors Association

Utility Safety in Depth: Discussing Actionable Safety with Bill Martin

April 21, 2022

Host Kate Wade welcomes Bill Martin to take a deeper dive into the article that Martin wrote for the December 2021/January 2022 issue of Incident Prevention titled “Actionable Safety: Modeling Change for Line Crews.” In this episode, the two will discuss stop-work authority, training to prevent incidents, recognizing red flag words, what leaders should be modeling to improve safety and more.

51 min. with Bill Martin of Northline Utilities.

Utility Safety in Depth: Managing Risk Through Cognitive Impairment Testing

November 8, 2021

Often, when the term “cognitive impairment” comes up, most people immediately think about drug or alcohol impairment. And while that is an issue, there are many other things that can impair one’s mental clarity and, in turn, the safety of the job. In this episode, Kate Wade talks to Lee Marchessault of Workplace Safety Solutions and Jeff Sease of Predictive Safety SRP about the different types of cognitive impairments that can impact safety and what can be done to bring awareness to and reduce those impairment issues.

20 min. with Lee Marchessault of Workplace Safety Solutions and Jeff Sease of Predictive Safety SRP

Utility Safety In Depth: What Utilities & Contractors Need to Know About UTV & ATV Safety

May 27, 2021

Utility task vehicles (UTVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are becoming increasingly popular transportation options for lineworkers who need to traverse difficult terrain to access work sites. In this episode, Kate Wade talks to Ty Fenton of Safety One Training about what utility and contractor organizations should consider when purchasing, training on and using these vehicles.

20 min. with Ty Fenton

Utility Safety In Depth: Understanding Complacency & How to Overcome It

April 21, 2021

What is the true cause of complacency? How can developing new habits reduce incidents? What is it about our brains that makes us want to take shortcuts? Sharon Lipinski, CEO of Habit Mastery Consulting, will answer these questions and more as she sits down with Incident Prevention magazine’s editor Kate Wade to discuss the biological basis of complacency.

20 min. with Sharon Lipinski

Utility Safety In Depth: Fire Extinguisher Safety Strategies

March 2, 2021

Are your utility workers properly equipped and trained to safely respond to vehicle fires? Fire safety expert Steve Nash will help you uncover the answer to this question and others as he sits down with Incident Prevention magazine’s editor Kate Wade to discuss what your crews need to do to protect themselves and save others.

20 min. with Steve Nash