We all have a responsibility not just “ability” to stop unsafe work
Fairfield, CA – Three hundred IBEW 1245 Safety Stewards gathered for the annual Safety Summit in Fairfield, California.
IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean thanked the stewards for their work, stating, “The IBEW started when a couple of linemen got in a room with founder Henry Miller and decided no one should have to die in order to feed your family.” The year was 1891. At the time, one out of two linemen died on the job.
IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean addressing Safety Summit
In 2009 IBEW 1245 launched its own peer-to-peer safety program in the aftermath of several fatalities and serious injuries. IBEW 1245 staff and seasoned Journeymen Linemen met at the Union Hall to study the issues and shape a program led by and for linemen to cut down and hopefully eliminate fatalities.
Drawing on the experience of airline pilots and first responders, the Hold the Pull (HTP) Peer to Peer Safety Committee was born. The mission: to save lives by taking responsibility for one’s own safety and each other’s safety. “Brother to brother; no company involved; no discipline involved,” stressed Dean.
Since its inception, the program has expanded to include three additional committees: Keep the Clearance (KTC), Regulate the Voltage (RTV) and Control the Pressure (CTP). Hundreds of stewards have been trained and thousands of conversations have been held at the job site, in the yard or bull room, and in unit meetings.
IBEW 1245 Business Representative & Peer to Peer Safety Coordinator Fred Aboud
“HTP was just the beginning,” said IBEW 1245 Business Representative and Peer-to-Peer Coordinator Fred Aboud. “In 2009 a bunch of linemen got invited to the hall to figure out why fatalities were happening. In 2025, we have four committees, twenty-seven properties in the room today and more than fifty classifications.”
“How do you measure success?” posited Aboud. “It’s not the graph. Success is starting in 2009 with one classification and building it to what it is today. It’s Safety Committee members and stewards traveling, taking time from work, from their personal lives and reaching 3,000 members at Unit meetings, safety summits, yards. That’s how you measure success.” Dean added, “No one has died in 2 years for the first time ever. That is at least one measure [of success].”
At the summit, Safety Stewards and Committee members met in small groups to plan outreach and member engagement.
Guest speakers captivated the group with stories and lessons learned.
Carlos Mendez from the Echelon Front Group, addressed the group for the third year in a row. He shared riveting stories from his experience as a Navy Seal and described approaches to exercising leadership, building relationships, and taking ownership as Safety Stewards set standards and engage co-workers. “Taking ownership sets the example and the tone, showing your team true leadership. It builds credibility, influence and respect,” he said.
Kent Maughan, President at Wasatch Electric, reviewed an incident report chronicling the devastating story of a fifty-year-old foreman who lost his life troubleshooting a pin on the bottom of an expandable deck trailer. The foreman had directed his young journeyman lineman to retract the trailer while he was underneath the belly of the vehicle. It cost the foreman his life. “We all have a responsibility not just ‘ability’ to stop unsafe work. What would have happened if we had stopped the job? It would have changed the outcome,” said Maughan.
IBEW 1245 member Luke Young, a Journeyman Lineman working Outside Line Construction, declared, “The key is communication.”
Mike Van Egmond, who served as emcee for the day, concurred, saying, “By understanding the fact that the communication between the driver of the truck and the man under the truck was a key factor….we’re pulling the positive out of a negative experience. We’re learning, moving forward and taking ownership.”
Control the Pressure (CTP) Member Freddie Hewitt shares harrowing attack and recovery
Following Maughan, Freddie Hewitt, a Locate & Mark serviceman from PG&E and member of the Control the Pressure (CTP) committee recounted his harrowing story. Only a month and a half into his new job at PG&E, on June 11, 2022, a Saturday, Brother Hewitt was attacked at work by a random, knife-wielding passer-by on the street who stabbed him in the neck, hitting his jugular. Only after a series of life-saving surgeries and two years of rehabilitation, was brother Hewitt able to return to work. He detailed the incident, the long road to recovery, and the power of the Brotherhood. He stressed the importance of situational awareness, trusting your gut, and being your brothers’ keeper. He acknowledged the toll on his mental health and thanked Ernie Peňa, Chair of IBEW 1245’s HTP Committee. Peňa, himself a survivor of being shot while doing his job at PG&E, reached out to Hewitt when he learned of his ordeal and has supported him in the journey back. Peňa assured Hewitt that he and the committee are here for him.
Thanks to all who organized the summit and who participated to make it a success.
– Eileen Purcell, Sr. Advisor; Photos by John Storey
IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean addressing Safety Summit
IBEW 1245 Business Representative & Peer to Peer Safety Coordinator Fred Aboud
Carlos Mendeaz, Echelon Front Group
Control the Pressure (CTP) Member Freddie Hewitt shares harrowing attack and recovery
Kenn Maughan, President Wasatch Electric Company
Mike Van Egmond, emceeing the day