The IBEW Local 1245 Health and Safety committee is comprised of a cross-section of trades, representing the rank-and-file membership in matters related to safety. Supported by 1245 Safety Director Jody Castro, the committee gathers safety-related materials, respond to safety research requests and report safety issues to the local union. The members meet on a monthly basis at Local 1245 to review safety matters and are responsible to report accidents and injuries to the IBEW International Organization as mandated by IBEW International Bylaws. Members are welcome to contact them to discuss issues or report accidents and injuries. They are available to help. Email the Safety Committee
The IBEW 1245 Health and Safety Committee met on Jan. 9 and reviewed reports of the following incidents and news:
- On Dec. 5, the Oakland City Council unanimously passed the “Safe Work Zone” ordinance. This first-of-its-kind rule is expected to provide workers in Oakland with a tool to help ensure their personal safety while working in public spaces. This win could not have happened without the dedication of Local 1245 members, organizing stewards and staff.
- A line worker was working at about 30 feet up on an unsupported pole when the pole broke at its base, causing the pole and line worker to fall across a backyard fence and pool equipment. No injuries.
- A crew experienced an electric event when the knuckle of their 95’ bucket made contact with two phases of 17kv line. At the time, the crew had intended to use the insulated portion of the boom as a guard between different circuits. There was discussion of the need to maintain a spotter during critical operations. No injuries.
- A Committee member reported that PG&E has begun the process of implementing a Line Clearance Tree Trimmer evaluation program. These assessments are reported to be required by 2025. The same committee member reported an incident that occurred when a cut section of tree made contact with another tree and was deflected into live power lines, causing an outage.
- A Committee member reported issues where newly installed 25kv elbows are found to have been installed with 12kv pins. This causes a situation where the elbows appear to be correct but cannot be energized.
The Committee met on Feb. 13 and reviewed reports of the following incidents:
- A line crew was working to clear and ground underground cables located at an unmarked junction box when they were exposed to a flash while applying grounds. The crew had followed test procedures and observed a (false) negative, however when looking closer at the maps application it was discovered that there was additional information that could have helped them identify the correct work location. No injuries.
- A crew was utilizing a boom truck to lift a 45’ steel column while stabilizing the base with a Telehandler when the load shifted, causing the Telehandler to become sideloaded and fall into the boom truck. While there were no injuries, the Telehandler falling into the boom truck came within three feet of the boom operator.
- A crew was working to pour a tower footing utilizing a concrete mixing attachment on a skid steer when one of the workers called for a stop before reaching into the chute to clear material. The worker suffered the partial amputation of one finger when the hydraulic door closed. The company has designed a guard for the equipment going forward.
- February was the last Health and Safety meeting for brother Dan Boschee, who has retired from Frontier Communications and looks forward to enjoying time traveling. We wish brother Boschee a long and happy retirement!
- The Health and Safety Committee welcomed brother Ernie Pena as its newest member. Brother Pena serves on Control the Pressure and is a Gas Service Representative at PG&E.
The Committee did not meet in March due to the IBEW International Safety Conference and National Safety Council. Committee members Gerald Stinson, Ernie Pena and Steve Speak joined IBEW 1245 Business Rep Jody Castro in attending the conference.
Some of the important topics presented:
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From left: 1245 Safety Committee member Steve Speak, Safety Director Jody Castro, IBEW Safety Department Director Mark MacNichol, 1245 Safety Committee member Ernie Pena, and 1245 Safety Committee member Gerald Stinson at the IBEW Safety Conference
Milwaukee Tool presented research on the effects that weight and design had on ergonomic injuries. They had some very compelling data backing up their claims to have developed tools that are less likely to cause injuries. They also compared the safety benefits of helmets over hard hats and described their in-house testing procedures. Finally, they discussed advances that had been made in suspension and padding to allow for a better fit that is both more comfortable and safer overall. They also had samples of new cut-resistant gloves that at least one member of the committee found interesting.
- Tyndale USA presented their new lighter and more comfortable Fire Resistant (FR) apparel products. They also shared a series of videos that demonstrated how an Arc Flash SIF would occur in different situations, including where the PPE is partially unbuttoned (fire from the Arc Flash moves under clothing either from the top or the bottom and catches hair or under layers on fire); where there’s a meltable base-layer (undershirts that are Non-FR will melt or burn beneath the outer FR, causing burns); and where there’s a third party in non-FR (non-suited observer are often a supervisor or assistant). The last two were simply not wearing FR and wearing counterfeit FR, it was interesting to see the number of FR garments being sold on the internet at prices that were “too good to be true.”
- Along with their presentation on technology, Tyndale had a moving presentation from Jason Brozen on his struggles to recover from surviving an Arc Flash. Tyndale has produced a video describing his injury and recovery as part of its “Arc-Week” series of videos available online.
- National Safety Council’s Sarah Van Huis presented information about the many advances in driving safety technology and the hazards of distracted driving. In her presentation, she discussed the role of the vehicle’s design in keeping occupants in the safest position in cases of collision, and the numerous applications and systems that are being built into newer vehicles to help us avoid accidents. One statistic that stuck with the members was that 63% of fatalities were vehicle-related in 2020. The NSC rolled out a campaign on safe driving this April and has more information at nsc.org/justdrive.
- Matthew Camphor of QUANTA and Dr. Mattew Hallowell of the University of Colorado spoke separately but both touched on High Energy and Controls to prevent Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF). Camphor discussed in detail Quanta’s journey to understanding that the electrical industry was not making any significant impact on SIF due to focusing on rules (OSHA) or behavior (discipline). Hallowell discussed the foundational research on High Energy Controls and Assessment (HECA), that would help the industry move towards the kind of leading indicators that would allow us to truly measure safety. Both of these presenters highlighted the critical importance of moving to the kind of safety culture that recognizes that every person will make mistakes, and that punishing them for doing so is counterproductive.
- There were several presentations on mental health and suicide prevention, as well as training on opioid addiction and naloxone usage. One of the most common ways people become introduced to opioids is through the treatment of work-related musculoskeletal injuries. There were presentations by several members who had suffered through the passing of brothers and family due to suicide.
- The Brothers of IBEW Local 103 (Boston MA) held an AA meeting to show how they had decided to tackle the growing issues of addiction in their area. The dialog was compelling, and it is obvious that these brothers are doing everything they can to support their IBEW family.
–Jody Castro, IBEW 1245 Safety Director