IBEW 1245 Peer-to-Peer Safety Committees Stand Out at NV Energy Safety Kick Off

Spreading the Word about Safety

Reno – On January 28, 2025, representatives from IBEW 1245’s Peer-to-Peer Safety Groups attended the annual NV Energy Safety Summit. More than five hundred attendees participated in the event at the Atlantis Casino & Resort in Reno, Nevada.

As they entered the venue, participants visited tables manned by 1245 leaders of the Regulate the Voltage (RTV) peer group, Hold the Pull (HTP) peer group, and Control the Pressure (CTP) peer group.

Safety Committee representatives talked with employees about the Union’s commitment to building a safety culture on the ground and answered a myriad of questions. They distributed flyers and union stickers and recruited two employees who expressed interest in joining the RTV peer group.

Representing IBEW 1245’s safety committees were RTV peer group members Neil Norris and Mike Tafoya;  HTP peer group members  Pete Sandoval, and Jesse Morelos; and CTP peer group members Ernie Peňa and Kevin Foster. They were joined by IBEW 1245 Business Representative Fred Aboud who coordinates the peer-to-peer safety program.

During the conference, IBEW 1245 Business Representative Adam Weber presented numerous awards in recognition of continuous safety streaks—some as high as 30+years—during which time there were for no OSHA recordables.

Brother Weber also dove into the history of the IBEW, emphasizing that the union was founded on safety at a time when 1 out of 2 linemen died on the job.

“Nothing is more important than working safely and going home to our loved ones at the end of the day,” declared Aboud, coordinator of the peer-to-peer safety program.

Peer-to-peer safety leaders Neil Norris, Ernie Peňa and Jesse Morelos addressed the conference, sharing the work of their respective safety committees and how to get involved.

On the side, Committee members networked with each other, sharing ideas about how to encourage people to get involved to advance safety at the workplace.

Getting to represent the safety peer groups in front of a crowd of over five hundred was an enormous opportunity to spread the word about safety.

Overall, the trip was a huge success.

– By Neil Norris, IBEW 1245 Regulate the Pressure Peer-to-Peer Safety Committee