As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, Dwight Miller from the Safety, Training & Loss Prevention (ST&LP) department has outlined several key factors contributing to worker safety in Ohio’s electric cooperatives.
Miller highlights Ohio’s ongoing commitment to safety, noting that while such dedication can seem routine, it often faces resistance. He cites the adoption of dielectric footwear as a critical example: “In 2014, OSHA required that all electrical utilities include dielectric footwear as part of their PPE hazard assessment. In Ohio, we have seen incident after incident (I personally learned of 10 in my career) where dielectric footwear has saved someone’s life or livelihood. Therefore, in our PPE hazard assessment, it was determined that they are needed in various situations as secondary protection as a final fail-safe element, regardless of how uncomfortable or heavy they are.”
He observes that this equipment is rarely used outside Ohio due to cost and inconvenience but stresses its proven value in preventing fatalities and serious injuries.
Attention to safety at an operational level is another area Miller addresses. He differentiates between commitment—an overarching principle—and attention, which involves daily actions and decisions. “When we give our attention to safety, it becomes engrained into every part of the cooperative and serves as the foundation for everything we do,” he writes. He also notes room for improvement, particularly with regular in-house safety meetings.
Miller points out progress in unifying operations and safety teams: “I’m very thankful to see our operations and safety teams doing a better job working together as a team with the same goal in mind, ‘Go get the job done safely, guys. If you feel that you can’t do it safely, come back and see me and let’s work to find a solution together.’” He emphasizes the need for all managers—not just those with formal safety roles—to prioritize safe practices within their departments.
Measuring success by the presence of safety rather than absence of incidents is another shift Miller describes. He explains that traditional metrics may not accurately reflect underlying risks: “We now understand that we could have had a ‘0’ DART rate, ‘0’ TRIR rate, and ‘0’ Vehicle Accident rate for the last 5 years and be set up for an electrical contact tomorrow.” Instead, he advocates for fostering open communication on job sites and hiring leaders who promote constructive dialogue about safety concerns.
Finally, Miller discusses evolving attitudes toward human error versus rule violations. He writes: “But now, we understand that human error is best managed through the use of effective after action reviews… But we also now understand that a culture which eliminates healthy fear is an organization that also often loses respect for its leaders.” According to Miller, clear boundaries and accountability must coexist with support when honest mistakes occur.
Miller concludes by expressing gratitude for these developments: “Trust is established, respect abounds, but most importantly, safety thrives… And that is something special that we should all be able to get behind and something that I am very thankful for.”
