Along Those Lines, Episode 7: Keeping Line Crews Safe

Heath Martin, safety director at Northfork Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma, had a life-changing accident early in his career as a lineworker. (Photo By: NRECA)

As we spend the month of April recognizing the efforts of lineworkers, the latest episode of Along Those Lines zeroes in on safety and what it takes to ensure that crews don’t come into contact with live lines.

Heath Martin, who’s now the safety director at Northfork Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma, shares the harrowing story of a mistake early in his career as a lineworker that could have cost him his life—and the lessons he took away from the incident.  

We’re also joined by Bud Branham, NRECA’s safety director, and Corey Parr, who runs the safety and loss control program at Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange, to discuss the hazards of the work that line crews do and good practices for staying safe.

Listen to the episode below:

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Related Content:
Oklahoma Living Magazine: Safety Miracles
Cooperative.com: Commitment to Zero Contacts Initiative Targets Lineworker Injuries and Fatalities

Find out more about NRECA’s podcast. Questions or suggestions? Email us at AlongThoseLines@nreca.coop.