ST. LOUIS—Southwest Electric Cooperative CEO James Ashworth knew the Missouri co-op’s crew observations initiative had hit its groove when a young lineworker was confidently anticipating the next visit.

“He said, ‘When’s the next inspection? We’re ready,’” the CEO of the Bolivar-based co-op told attendees at an NRECA Safety Leadership Summit breakout session on the importance of crew observations in an electric cooperative’s safety culture. “Our guys are proud of the job site they’ve got, and they want someone to come look at it. That shows how far we’ve come.”

The CEO was one of three speakers at the “Seeing Risk Before It Strikes: Lessons From Conducting Crew Observations” session during the three-day conference at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch.

Crew observations are hard to implement because their effectiveness takes time and consistency, said panel moderator Johnie Hendrix, vice president of risk management and training at the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, the statewide association based in Jefferson City. 

A survey of crews from the second phase of Commitment to Zero Contacts found that many co-ops struggle to implement the visits.

“The assessment found that the frequency of crew observations isn’t consistent across many cooperatives, and in some cases, those visits aren’t always followed up with feedback on safety performance,” Hendrix said.

At Southwest EC, an uptick in minor workplace accidents and soft tissue injuries resulting in significant sprains and strains led the co-op to prioritize the program. Since 2021, the visits have taken place weekly, exceeding AMEC’s minimum of two visits per year for each of the state’s 46 distribution and transmission co-ops—and one annual visit as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Here’s how the Missouri co-op’s program works: Manager of Safety and Compliance Billy Hunt and four line superintendents drop in unannounced each week at work sites in their respective districts, sometimes with Ashworth or Josh Wolfe, the co-op's manager of operations. Taking care to maintain employee privacy, Hunt records the visits on a spreadsheet sent regularly to Wolfe and Ashworth.

Using Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange’s safety app for prompts, line superintendents aim for “quality visits” to identify areas for improvement, like body positioning or proper use of equipment. If minimal infractions are present, Hunt addresses the issue in a group setting. For major incidents, the job is shut down.

“We really try to ask questions and spend quite a bit of time at the job,” Wolfe said. “We don't just fly in and check the boxes and go on. We really try to get involved in what's going on. We'll ask what are some hazards they’re facing that day, or we’ll look at their trucks’ marker boards to make sure proper information is recorded.”

The visits’ purpose is to get snapshots of current work and field conditions—not to punish anyone or single someone out.

“We're a small, tight-knit group,” Wolfe said. “We make it clear that this isn’t about enforcing rules or getting people in trouble, but it's from a point of compassion and getting the guys safely home at the end of the day.”