article by Rebecca Band
Photos by John Storey
Rich Lane commends the safety stewards for their hard work
Dozens of Gas Safety Stewards came together in Vacaville on May 7th for the annual Control the Pressure Safety Summit at Weakley Hall.
Control the Pressure (CTP) is the gas workers’ arm of IBEW 1245’s peer-to-peer safety program, launched by Business Manager Tom Dalzell in 2009 to stem the tide of workplace injuries and fatalities among 1245 members. Between 2003 and 2012, 25 members lost their lives at work. But in just a few short years, the increasingly popular peer-to-peer program has already proven hugely effective, with zero on-the-job fatalities in 2013 and an equally strong safety record for the beginning of 2014.
“You’re all a part of that growth and a part of that change,” IBEW 1245 safety program rep Rich Lane told the gas safety stewards at the summit. “It’s a testament to your work … and we also need to give Tom Dalzell recognition because he’s pushed this forward and is really proud of this initiative.”
Dalzell joined the summit in the morning, facilitating a candid discussion with the stewards about the types of safety problems they’ve been seeing at their different worksites. From issues with supervisors and management to new technologies, new hires and inconsistent training, no topic was off the table.
“The fact that we’re not getting hurt out there shows that we really are looking out for one another,” Keith Hopp, a 31-year member from PG&E in Marysville, told Dalzell and the rest of the group. “The company isn’t always looking out for us. That’s why we have to look out for ourselves, and each other.”
CTP committee member and summit MC Adam Weber
NV Energy crew foreman and CTP committee member Adam Weber served as the MC for the day-long summit, which focused on giving the safety stewards the chance to learn from one another’s experiences, while also providing tutorials, counseling skills and helpful resources to keep their co-workers safe on the job.
“I think [these safety summits] are a great idea. We’re ahead of the curve with the peer-to-peer program,” Weber said in an interview. “At NV Energy where I work, it’s viewed as a great thing, even with the management. And the members have really embraced it.”
CTP committee member Pat Fryer shared a first-hand experience that underscored the importance of staying focused on one task at a time, despite pressure from management to increase productivity. “If you feel like you’re running behind from the start, you’ll never catch up, and if you’re busy playing catch-up, you might not be focused on the project at hand,” Fryer, a 36-year member who works as a Gas Service Rep for PG&E in San Rafael, told the group. “We don’t want someone to get hurt and have an accident because they’re rushing to be more productive.”
While the summit gave the stewards the unique opportunity to network and share their stories in-person, the stewards are also able to stay connected remotely 24/7/365 through IBEW 1245’s Online Safety Forum, available only to safety stewards through a new secure mobile app as well as a private, password-protected website. Rich Lane provided the stewards with a demonstration of the technology that allows them to share their experiences, issues, failures and success stories in a private online setting.
CTP committee member Ernie Pena
“Communication is key, especially with all the different yards we have,” CTP Committee member Ernie Pena, a gas service rep for PG&E in Livermore, told the group. “If something happens and you don’t post it on the private website, then stewards in other yards will never know about it.”
“That’s why having this network and talking to each other is so important,” Fryer added. “As we continue to build and grow this program, we’re going to be stronger because we’re finding out our weaknesses and strengths and sharing them with each other.”
CTP Committee member Roy Cabral fostered a conversation about growing the peer program and recruiting more gas workers to serve as safety stewards, with the goal of having a steward in every single yard.
Summit facilitator Adam Weber agrees that expanding the program is a top priority. “We want to grow this group to be as big as possible. The more people we have [in the peer-to-peer program], the safer we’ll all be,” he said in an interview.
The summit concluded with a series of group activities and role-playing exercises to give the stewards a chance to practice responding to hypothetical (but very common) safety issues in the workplace.
To learn more and find out how to become a safety steward, contact Rich Lane rvl5@ibew1245.com or a member of the Safety Committee.
Business Manager Tom Dalzell facilitates an open discussion
CONTROL THE PRESSURE Peer Committee
Roy Cabral- Crew Foreman, PG&E Modesto, 408-726-3951 rcabral_84@yahoo.com
Jerry DeBaca-PG&E Antioch, 925-383-6483 jdebaca@comcast.net
Pat Fryer-PG&E GSR San Rafael, 415-892- 6357 fryer.pat@gmail.com
Lington Gordon- PG&E GSR Santa Rosa, 510-710-9279 lingtongordon@sbcglobal.net
Marty Kumle- Foreman, Nevada Energy, 775-250-8921 mardoiii@sbcglobal.net
Ernie Pena- PG&E GSR, Livermore, 925-784-1352 edp6051@yahoo.com
Steve Lange, GC Equip. Op. PG&E Chico, 530-520-4402 slange22@sbcglobal.net
Adam Weber, Foreman, Nevada Energy, 775-762-3292 aweb74@yahoo.com