Page 22 - TEnnessee

By Joe Igel
In this, my last article
for this publication, I sought a topic or topics that would be meaningful to my audience and thus to me. I tried to find a humorous and meaningful anecdote to open with but failed. It seemed that over the years, I had covered all aspects of my safety background, my perspective on the topic of underground damage prevention. And then, the realization came, that the experiences I have shared with you have bridged at least six years. How would I summarize those that I wanted you to remember, to use, to pass along? After some thought, I settled on the following six, in no order.
Continually review and assess your procedures
With changes in statutes, technology, personnel, and perspectives, continually reviewing and assessing your procedures and policies is critical. I have seen too many failures when an old system did not consider something new.
Fix first, then investigate and determine cause
Damage investigation is a key element in fixing
problems. However, your priority should always
be to resolve the problem, stop the leak, notify the
proper authorities, and most importantly to guard the safety
of all. Then, when that has been addressed, a thorough
investigation of the cause can be conducted. And please remember to include what you have instructed and what you have done in the investigation.
Changing Behavior
The investigative process should always focus on improving processes, changing behavior. Yes, at times, disciplinary action will be necessary. However, the long game requires behavior change. Corrective actions should focus on the reason for the failures
and redirect efforts toward
understanding the proper action to take and doing it.
Make your values in the damage prevention arena known
There should be a philosophy, a
value, a goal for all your work, and one that involves safety and damage prevention. And it should apply to everyone. If it is absent, you will find yourself continually answering the same questions and assessing the same problems. Ensuring all employees, particularly supervisors, know these values will empower them to take the proper and safe actions you would want if you were present.
Admit responsibility when it exists
If there is a mistake, and your investigation supports that conclusion, admit it, pay up and move on, correcting future behavior. If all your processes were acceptable or better, and failure is not yours, be an advocate for what was done by your team. And if there is a shared responsibility,
seek a sharing of any fallout, fines, or consequences.
Focus on cooperation
This last item has, through my 30 years or so of experience, become what
I consider the most important lesson, one that I wish I had learned much earlier. I have seen many individuals who keep a mental scorecard of “wins” and “losses” that they have experienced. It may assess OSHA violations, it may list successful defenses of damage claims, and/or workers’ compensation hearings results.
I would argue that defending your company, your organization is an important part of your job. Tracking losses and failures is important. But
I often see a “gotcha” mentality. More effort is invested in the attempt to put the “adversary” in their place. In Ohio, a successful compliance complaint can result in a fine for the offending party. It puts nothing back in the pocket of the party filing the complaint, who may have experienced a loss.
I see more benefits and success from taking that same amount of time
and sitting down with the party that provides your organization difficulty.
I did this a long time ago with a utility company. I witnessed how they screened and reviewed tickets, hearing suggestions on how we could improve our locate requests. Before departing
The investigative process should always focus
on improving processes, changing behavior.
my impromptu lesson, I obtained a list of contacts who could offer me assistance when I hit a rough spot. It paid huge dividends and provided a lesson that I carry to this day.
And that concludes my highlights. I hope it does not resemble a sitcom repeating clips of old shows to use as
a filler episode. And I hope that these may offer you service. I wish you safety and success now and in the future.
Mr. Igel retired as vice president of George J. Igel & Co., Inc. after working there for more than 35 years.
20 • Tennessee 811
2024, Issue 4