RE-marks Archive

By R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

"Everyone who works for you probably should have some training in how the distribution system works and how to spot at least basic defects or problems so they can report them to your service department."

By R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

This is a short note on something I noticed at this year’s annual convention, not an effort to recap the entire event, but just something that struck me that relates to some conversations I have had with Hurtado Program participants over the past few years.

Sometimes company leaders may feel as though there is very little that they can do to control their company’s WC costs. The premium is what it is, and aside from encouraging workers to “be careful” there isn’t a lot they can do. This is simply not true! To see why, here’s a look at a selected few of the elements of cost that go into your WC premium, three specific things that you can control.

Preventive maintenance may appear to be a somewhat dull and mundane topic that everyone is all too well aware of, one that has been thoroughly discussed many times, a basic element of every power system, so what could be left to say on this subject that is new or interesting? Well, please don’t skip this article, since there are some valuable insights to be found by looking at events taking place regularly, in various areas across the country.

By R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

Disasters Bring out the true meaning of “cooperative.”

By R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

Perhaps you read this article, first published in January of 2001. Perhaps not. 

by R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

Welding is a common activity in the utility business, with many specific hazards to address.    

by R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

Common everyday exposures may lead to injuries more often than we give them credit for.

By Robert Tutt, Black Warrior EMC

We learned a hard lesson about our new trailer. Maybe you can benefit from hearing what happened to us. 

by R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

Our clients have often heard me ask, “How do you get a good idea off of the conference room table and into the field?” and “Why would anyone violate a safety rule that everyone says is a good one that they all agree with?”

By R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

New Year’s Day is often a time for taking stock, making resolutions and looking ahead, a heavy lift indeed for a single day!

By R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

In a perfect world, there would be no employee injuries, but we don’t live in a perfect world, so injuries continue to occur and claims must be paid.

Providing rural America with access to high-speed Internet connections is a hot topic these days. It has even been the subject of that least rural newspaper, The New York Times! (To read that article, you can click here.) But before signaling full speed ahead, it may be a good idea to look for potential pitfalls lurking on the path to a high-speed, Internet-connected future.

Has your utility been on the receiving end of a demand letter regarding your Website’s compliance with the ADA? Several have, so even if you haven’t gotten one, you may have heard about it from others through the grapevine, or at meetings or other gatherings of utility personnel. Pretty much everyone who has heard of this issue has had a similar, if unprintable, reaction. So what’s going on here?

R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

Not long ago I was visiting a rural power distribution utility in our program and I had the opportunity to meet the new, young GM for the first time. He told me about his first full year in the position, about coming in from the outside the company, outside the industry, and about his experiences in the process. As our conversation progressed through the familiar elements of their safety program I was struck by how much has changed since I first started working with this group of utilities back in the Dark Ages, or more specifically, in the late 1970s. 

R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

On June 21, 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration finally issued rules on the operation of drones by private operators. The new rules landed with the impact of a falling feather, but at least they are a start.

by David Akin—Safety and Training Coordinator with EMEPA 

R. Bruce Wright, CPCU

(Actually, they are already here.)

What is “company culture?” How can you tell what yours is? Why should you care?

A practical guide for drivers’ accident reports.

I bet you think I am going to write about abandoned cable TV lines on utility poles, but I am not!

There has been enough turnover among our contacts since January of 2002 when we last posted a reminder about our training sessions that it may be time for a reminder!

What do we know about “active shooter” incidents? Who commits them? And why? What are the facts about these incidents?  What can we do about them at our utility? Answers to these questions and more are covered in this article on “Code blue,” active shooters and what we need to know.

  "The morning was just like any other ordinary morning as my wife Rhonda and I headed off for work."

Ever larger farm machinery is increasing the frequency and expense of potentially serious contacts with power lines and poles in rural America.