TheTiiger’sEye
Utility Industry News and Views
Published by Tiiger Inc. Manufacturers of Utility & Pole Pulling Equipment… Created by Linemen for Linemen
August 2012 edition www.Tiiger.com
Welcome to the August 2012 edition of The Tiiger’s Eye…
A unique newsletter designed to keep Linesman and Operations Managers abreast of what’s happening in the
Utility field and some human interest stories. If you have a story to tell whether it’s personal, product
oriented or simply tips you want to share please call us at 615.758.6046 Your looking at Cole Miller a Tennessee racing
phenomenon since he was 4 years old…
Cole
grew up around dirt bikes and was taken to watch his
dad and older brothers race when he was 3 weeks old. When
most kids start out with training wheels on a bike, he learned
to ride a bicycle so he could ride a dirt bike. His father told
him if he wanted to race he had to learn how to ride a bicycle
first. Within a few weeks he was riding a bike. In his first race, he was 4 years old and came in first place. Continued on page 2
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Cole Miller…
In 2008 he made it to the Loretta Lynn Nationals. In
2010 and 2011 Cole competed in the NMA Grand
Nationals in Oklahoma and in other races locally and all
around the country. He constantly finishes in the top 5
wherever he races. His work ethic and other achievements are just as
notable. He rides every weekend unless its raining or he
has an injury.
His favorite hobbies are of course motocross and also
football. He plays offense and defensive football for
Smith County Youth League and made the 2012-2013
Union Heights 5th and 6th grade basketball team. Cole has attended the TN FCA MX Camp for the last 3
years and this year was nominated for the outstanding
leadership award normally reserved for 17-20 year old
campers.
At camp he assists instructors with other younger
campers and helps teach them bible scripture after
worship services. Tiiger is proud to be one of Cole Millers sponsors. Page 2
TheTiiger’sEyeUtility Industry News and Views Published by Tiiger Inc. www.Tiiger.com ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Shedding Some Light on Utility Worker Safety…from a
Contractors Perspective
Electric Utility work by nature is filled with an inordinate amount of
challenges. Linemen and linewomen are faced with three extraordinary hazards that most workers do not have to deal with. First, they work on and around live
electrical equipment daily. Second, a good deal of their work is done at heights
ranging from 30 to 300 feet. Thirdly, it is a 24/7/365 obligation that doesn’t
afford its workers the opportunity to always do the first two things in the
sanctuary provided by good weather, bright daylight, and a good nights sleep.
There are few vocations that “play for keeps” like ours does.
Some contractor / management solutions.
1- Focus on the things that are the most hazardous to your Linemen, make
them your top priority.
2-­‐ Ensure that your safety program is a proactive one. Involve management,
employees and your customers.
3- Know what is going on in the field. All supervisors, superintendents,
managers, VP’s and the company president, should have expectations for
performing field assessments. Continued
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TheTiiger’sEyeUtility Industry News and Views Published by Tiiger Inc. www.Tiiger.com ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Shedding light on safety…
4- Realize that one of the most important factors in electric utility worker
safety is the degree of engagement of the first line supervisor. Where the
first line supervisor is engaged with their team, making regular field visits,
coaching, correcting and championing, then safe work habits are almost always
the norm.
5- Safety, quality and productivity are all interdependent. They are not
inversely proportional. Each is like one of the legs of a three legged stool.
They are organizational values that seldom exist without the presence of the
other two.
6- Understand that safety is a business process just like any other. As such,
it must be planned, utilized, measured, and adjusted when necessary. You need
company Safety Steering Team that meets monthly. It has representatives from
various business units, and is sponsored by the company president. We also
have a Safety Improvement Plan which is our roadmap for achieving our
safety goals.
What are the most pressing needs, would research help?
While some specific areas exist where research could perhaps be helpful,
(advanced work methods and procedures, robotics, communications means,
etc.) the answers to most of the problems we face from a safety standpoint
already exist. The challenge is finding the ways and means to implement them.
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TheTiiger’sEyeUtility Industry News and Views Published by Tiiger Inc. www.Tiiger.com
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Electrical Linemen Risk Life and Limb
LAKELAND | When Lakeland Electric supervisor Dwayne Goostree was
starting as a lineman in 2001, he slipped while on a pole and fell to the
ground. He shattered his elbow and still carries a scar from the accident.
But he didn't let that stop him from climbing again. "It didn't keep me from
going back and getting to where I am today," Goostree said.
Injuries like Goostree's are an expected hazard for power line installers, who
have one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job had a fatality rate of 29.8 deaths per
100,000 workers in 2008, with 35 total fatalities for the year, according to the
2008 Census of Fatal Occupational injuries. Although the job remains
dangerous, safety regulations have helped lower the risk of injury and death.
In electricity's early days, about one in four line workers suffered fatal jobrelated injuries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Fatalities are rare today, but line workers still focus on safety first.
Lakeland Electric's state-certified apprenticeship program for linemen takes
four years to complete and includes rigorous training requirements, said
Robert Padgett, who runs the program's training center.
The program started about 20 years ago and has about 30 apprentices.
"We're very well-respected by the state for being a top-notch training
program, which also makes us a better utility," Padgett said. Lakeland Electric's
line workers have not had a fatality since 2002, Goostree said.
In August 2002, lineman Marc Moore died from job-related injuries, The
Ledger reported. But other companies have not been as fortunate.
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Apprentice linemen Travis Levan, left, and Bryan
Keener, move energized wire as part of their
training at the Lakeland Electric Energy Delivery
Training Center in Lakeland.
TheTiiger’sEyeUtility Industry News and Views Published by Tiiger Inc. www.Tiiger.com __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Demco increases safety and truck life with
Tiiger Pole Pullers.
Digger derricks often aren’t designed to handle a significant
amount of weight. Often linemen rely on this heavy
equipment, however, to extract wood poles from the
ground. When this happens, the derrick’s boom can
experience undue tension. Eventually, the boom can become
separated from the truck, causing bolts to pop off and
putting linemen in harm’s way. Demco decided this was unacceptable and looked for a
better way. They then came across the Hydraulic Pole Puller
from Tiiger Inc. At only 57 lbs., it was said to be the most
lightweight on the market. After testing it out in the field,
Demco opted to invest in the Pole Puller because it was
easy to use, portable and ergonomic.
The company now has eleven digger derricks with the Tiiger
Pole Puller installed on them.
Demco now uses the Pole Puller on all overhead
construction projects and has made the process of pulling
poles safer for its linemen and extended the life of its derrick
trucks. Page 6
The lightweight Pole Puller assembly features an optional
load distribution pad, adding additional stability and safety.
The Back Plate prevents chain roll-up resulting in
maximum lift per stroke.
TheTiiger’sEyeUtility Industry News and Views Published by Tiiger Inc. www.Tiiger.com
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On the light side…Some important information from the
Tiiger’s Eye for Halloween…
Pliny the Younger
What Is a Ghost?
The concept of a ghost, also known as a specter, is based on the ancient idea that
a person's spirit exists separately from his or her body, and may continue to exist
after that person dies. Because of this idea, many societies began to use funeral
rituals as a way of ensuring that the dead person's spirit would not return to
"haunt" the living.
Places that are haunted are usually believed to be associated with some
occurrence or emotion in the ghost's past; they are often a former home or the
place where he or she died. Aside from actual ghostly apparitions, traditional
signs of haunting range from strange noises, lights, odors or breezes to the
displacement of objects, bells that ring spontaneously or musical instruments that
seem to play on their own.
Early Ghost Sightings
In the first century A.D., the great Roman author and statesman Pliny the
Younger recorded one of the first notable ghost stories in his letters, which
became famous for their vivid account of life during the heyday of the Roman
Empire. Pliny reported that the specter of an old man with a long beard, rattling
chains, was haunting his house in Athens. The Greek writer Lucian and Pliny's
fellow Roman Plautus also wrote memorable ghost stories.
Centuries later, in 856 A.D., the first poltergeist--a ghost that causes physical
disturbances such as loud noises or objects falling or being thrown around--was
reported at a farmhouse in Germany. The poltergeist tormented the family living
there by throwing stones and starting fires, among other things.
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Lucian
Plautus
TheTiiger’sEyeUtility Industry News and Views Published by Tiiger Inc. www.Tiiger.com ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Three Famous Historical Ghosts
One of the most frequently reported ghost sightings in England dates back to the
16th century. Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of
Queen Elizabeth I, was executed at the Tower of London in May 1536 after being
accused of witchcraft, treason, incest and adultery. Sightings of Boleyn's ghost have
been reported at the tower as well as in various other locations, including her
childhood home, Hever Castle, in Kent.
America's own rich tradition of historical ghosts begins with one of its most
illustrious founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin. Beginning in the late 19th century,
Franklin's ghost was seen near the library of the American Philosophical Society in
Philadelphia, Penn.; some reports held that the statue of Franklin in front of the
society comes to life and dances in the streets.
Though many ghost sightings have been reported at the White House in
Washington, D.C., over the years, perhaps no political figure has made so frequent
an appearance in the afterlife as Abraham Lincoln, the nation's 16th president, who
was killed by an assassin's bullet in April 1865. Lincoln, formerly a lawyer and
congressman from Illinois, is said to have been seen wandering near the old
Springfield capitol building, as well as his nearby law offices. At the White House,
everyone from first ladies to queens to prime ministers have reported seeing the
ghost or feeling the presence of Honest Abe--particularly during the administration
of Franklin D. Roosevelt, another president who guided the country through a time
of great upheaval and war.
For past issues of The Tiiger’s Eye go to the News & Views section of our website.