Page 7 - Tennessee 811 Magazine 2022 Issue 3

growth of Stansell Electric, Greg mentioned, “They push a lot of self-growth. The opportunities are all self-initiated, as in you must be willing to take that opportunity. There isn’t
a person they hire that isn’t given the same opportunities
as the next guy. If you show the initiative and that you are willing to put in the time, they will put you through the training school to learn a new job function.” Stansell Electric is identified for its work with infrastructure, traffic signal, and underground construction, and their biggest customer is the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Injury Free Program
Many companies attribute their success, in part, to their safety programs keeping their employees out of harm’s
way. Stansell Electric takes it to the next level with their 60-page manual called the Injury Free Program. Dave
gave me a copy of this manual – it is easy to read and has pictures for each of the scenarios employees may face in
the field. Dave mentioned, “This program came about from frustration that we were not taking care of our people and too many people were getting hurt. Our recordable incident rate in 2017 and going back even further, was three times
the industry average. David Stansell gave the responsibility to ensure our people go home safely every night to a guy named Jon White. Jon recognized that the traditional safety program just doesn’t work. He created Injury Free and put together a group of people here at Stansell that we call ambassadors. Jon picked their brains and asked how can we turn this around.” The first change was how the company responded when people got hurt, equipment got damaged, or a utility got hit. Dave continued, “Instead of the blame and shame game to realizing that people make mistakes. Jon changed the environment to make it safe for people to say, hey I messed up. The company got better at learning from mistakes.” This manual lays out a step-by-step process that is accountable and enabling for its employees. And not to
be left out, this manual has four pages covering excavation and trenching. In the first year of using the manual, Stansell Electric went from three times the industry average to meeting the average. They’ve continued to improve each year and (as of the writing of this article) they haven’t had a recordable injury since 2021.
Closing
In Tennessee, we are lucky to have an excavator like Stansell Electric, and the whole excavation industry is truly fortunate to have a company that makes safety a priority. Like Jimmy from Metro Water mentioned, Stansell Electric puts a priority on safety by utilizing safe digging practices. From communicating with all the utility operators to having on-site meetings, Stansell Electric has a great working relationship with all the stakeholders through effective communication. Their Injury Free Program is one of a kind and it has made
a positive impact on their company. I asked both Dave and Greg what has made Stansell Electric so successful. Dave replied, “The people have created the culture here and
the culture has influenced the people.” Greg replied from his perspective, “From a field guy, what’s made Stansell so successful is the willingness to do whatever is going to make their employees successful.”
If you would like to recognize a company or individual as a Damage Prevention MVP, email jfryer@tennessee811.com.
2022, Issue 3
Tennessee811 • 5