Safety Man?

[grillman]

Koga

We are nearing world class safety. We have a Du-Pont safety program that was put in p.lace a few years back because near the end of the 90s into the start of this decade we had some brothers killed out in the field for a variety of reasons.

[wtdoor67]

Not that co's will heed but about half the safety people I've met are entirely inappropiate for the job.

I think a lot of co's use these jobs as little reward plums for their suck butt buddies.

I experienced one once whom I liked alright as a person. At some point I sorta jumped him and asked him what his background was. He said. I was a meter reader and the pastor of a church before coming to work as a meter reader for the co. I was incredulous. I said. How in hell can you be qualified for this job when all you've been is a meter reader? I can't recall his answer, but it was not logical as I remember. Now get this. His next job was as a contractor inspector/supervisor. He supposedly oversaw distribution contractors and periodically checked their work etc. Can you believe it?

Experienced another whose background was even weirder. He was a former British Commando. Now can you believe that? Essentially he came to our monthly safety meeting and read the report of accidents etc. How can any employee take serious the preachings of safety from safety directors such as this?

To me, behavior such as this from large corporations of the electrical industry, just demonstrates they don't really give a shit about core safety. It all becomes just lip service.

I worked one place where the safety director had a degree in safety and was a Journeyman Lineman. Credibility. You bet.

To me the bottom line is upper management actually thinks of the workers as just a bunch of dumb asses. Why else would you treat safety in such a cavalier manner? Yet they want to brag about their safety records. I've seen many minor accidents and near misses hidden. They always will be. I always said. Don't tell anybody and if you can lie out of it.

[Koga]

not the right approach then. Does he or other management sit in on your meetings all the time ? We have a meeting every morning. On Monday the GF sits in and kinda goes over a few things with us . But he is one that came up through the ranks and knows what hes talking about. As all the foremans have. The rest of the week we run the meetings and discuss anything that might come up during the week with no management present. Would they be open to suggestions and real discussion type meetings. As long as they pertain to safety and things yall run into everyday they shouldn't mind. Sometimes its revisiting the basics on grounding in certian situations, sometimes its about the problems with the new reclosures and sectionalizers. Sometimes on switching proceedures. Mostly everyday stuff that comes up and ya get some ideas maybe ya havent thought of at the time. Dont take long and evryone can have input. Kind of like a big tailboard with everyone discussing the problems. But the difference is we run it and talk about what we want. Sometimes it isn't pretty to watch and some get the reds but thats ok too. It seems to work.

Koga

[Pootnaigle]

I've seen journeymen be "promoted" into the job of saftey man and that can be a pretty disturbing thing also. Once they hafta give up their union card to take a management position they are purdy much on their own. If they disagree with something from corporate saftey they had damn well better keep it to themselves. I've seen more than one forget everything he ever learned about real life linework and just become another suit. I honestly beleive a 1 year stint as saftey man made mandatory for every Journeyman would be a much better way to promote a real saftey program, But I am not convinced that the corporations of today have a real interest in saftey, aside from the fact that poor saftey performance costs em money, and if the govt didnt mandate that they have a saftey program they prolly wouldnt.

[wtdoor67]

I worked one place where they had a safety meeting ever Monday. They subscribed to a safety service that gave them a bunch of relevant reports of accidents within the trade. I liked their safety meetings.

With Pub. Serv. Co. of Okla. (AEP), they had one safety meeting per month. They were attended by usually the District Supt., the local Supt. and on occasions the Safety Director and for whatever reason sometimes the HR Director. I recall one where I was rambling on about some stupid BS they were mandating we do. The local Supt. jumped to his feet and shouted. "Goddammit, what does it matter? Just do it?" The Dist. Supt. and the HR director just sat in silence. I laughed and the meeting went on.

The VP in charge of operations once "mandated" that anyone who had a backing accident would get 3 days off.

Every bodies morale was real good there.

Another VP, a Dike female dictated once that cones would be placed around vehicles and everything chocked. Even in the yard and when parked at the end of the day. They finally ran her ass off.

[buzzit125]

I work at a very small municipality, after leaving the big city gig. We have a “Safety sponsor”, that comes in once, very two months, to me that’s not enough. So we as a group use this post off this site to have a safety short every week. It is something that makes the men stop and think about the job we all face. A job we do, that we relate to.
Only people of this trade get this. We don’t move boxes at FedEx, this lineman job, can and will kill you. Its all about respecting the job, respecting the electricity, and respect of those around you.Tell the safety man that safety is no accident;
you can use that if you want.
People can only relate to the their own surroundings, You know, you can take the billy out of the hill, but you can never take the hill out of the billy. I can say this cuz I is one.
If this guy is so lame, to get it, then go around him. The IBEW has a great safety program for linemen. If that don’t work use the OSHA stuff on him. Do your homework first. Gather the information, then use it on this safety man. The internet is a good place to do research. Hey just do it. Print out one of these safety accidents from this site, take it to work, and read it to the men… What could this man say, “this is not about safety”. B.S.
Good luck, Buzz

[Lizzy Bordon]

Safety...what the heck....did he play golf??? Didnt that qualify him for the job! Look at the bright side next he will be doing Hazard Training and telling the spotters the yellow rubber rain boots are dielectric boots and get promoted. I have sat through ton's of safety meeting where they read from a flip card and when asked an intelligent question........YOU GET THE DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS LOOK.......oh better yet........make them the dispatcher and then blame everyone else.

Unfortunately you have to watch each others backs and do the job the way that you know is safe.....makes you wonder when upper management does not have a clue the safety rep is clueless.

[wtdoor67]

grillman? Please define, "World Class Safety".

[AEE/linehand]

i know most safety people have little experience. but not to many linemen would take a pay cut to catch flack from a bunch of hard heads like myself. these people goto college and study safety & communication. unfortunatley the utility industry is one of the only places hiring these days. sadly a few of us give the companies and safety pukes plenty of ammo.
I personally dont think my job too dangerous but i feel like i am pretty well trained and i try to stay safe.

[X_Country]

You said - My problem is getting our safety man, who of course has never been a lineman, to get me material that pertains to linework

Bring him a tool off your truck or out of your crib. ask him if there are special inspection or maintnance requirements for it. Tell him you want to do a safety talk on it.

A good one is a stick with a gouge or scrape on it. you can ask him how to use your stick tester. Does it work with an extendo. Then bring all of that info to the talks.

You will teach him something and you will get to bring the subject back to the trade.