Ozark crew continues streak with practice, attention to detail
Continued engagement.
Those are the two words Ginger Dean offers when asked how the Ozark Line Crew has sustained its 13-year safety streak, despite a parade of new faces working on the team.
Their approach has allowed the young crew’s six members – whose combined work experience is less than the 30-plus years amassed by Ozark Local Operations Lineman Jim Grantham – to work without a recordable injury or preventable vehicle accident. It is notable, Dean said, the crew has been managed by five foremen during the run of safety success.
“This crew’s success can’t be attributed solely to their leadership,” said Dean, Enterprise Operations manager for Power Delivery- Distribution. “It is more of a cultural thing. There is a tradition of working safely that continues, and that accounts for this longevity of performance.”
Ozark Foreman Jeff Bonner, Distribution crew supervisor for the past three years, agrees. “I think part of it is that our group is so young, they all pay close attention to detail,” said Bonner, noting his team ranges in age from 22 to 36. “We try to focus on the task at hand and not get ahead of ourselves.”
Through the years, he has learned “change is the one thing that is constant.” Bonner, who began in 1984 as a building service attendant, has worked his way up through the ranks.
“We adapt to whatever comes up, as a company as a whole,” he said. “Customers’ needs change daily, and we occasionally have to change the way we do business to accommodate them. We do a great job at that.”
Bonner said Alabama Power has made enormous strides in safety, from the equipment used to training methods to how crews perform work. He believes current training far surpasses methods used 25 years ago, when line crew members depended mostly on their on-the-job learning. For instance, Bonner’s crew members took part in pole-top rescue training March 5.
“We’ve come so far,” Bonner said. “I’m so proud of these guys. They’re very proactive and jump at the chance to take the lead at tailgate safety meetings, or to volunteer at schools after-hours. They all take an active role.”
With 14 years on the job, Ozark Lead Lineman Judson Danner has the most seniority on his crew. He agrees that consistent training is important. Danner, who began his career as a helper in Transmission Maintenance, helps train new journeymen linemen joining the team. That’s why getting it right the first time is of utmost importance, Danner believes.
“In our line of work, you learn the right way to do things, and you make decisions that keep people from going to the hospital or to a funeral,” he said. “A bad decision will lead to really bad results. I’ve told young crew members, ‘You don’t know until it’s over – there are ace bandages, or you can sprain your hand, but after that, there are not a lot of in-betweens with injuries.’”
During safety meetings, the crew has learned about employees who have been burned or sustained other injuries, and are well aware accidents can occur if work isn’t performed correctly.
“That’s why what we do is so important,” said Danner, who enjoys his training role and wants to eventually put those skills to use as a safety specialist. Comparing life in small, close-knit Ozark to living in “small-town America,” Danner said the responsibility for each other’s well-being weighs heavily on crew members. “It’s different from working in a big city, where you don’t see each other on the weekends,” Danner said. “We have two or three crew members who all live in the same small community, and we all see each other at the convenience store or grocery. What happens in our crew affects the entire community.”
That is why commitment to safety makes all the difference, Danner said.
“I would hate to see someone’s wife or kids, and know that they were hurt because I let somebody make a bad decision.”
