PUTTING A FACE ON SAFETY:

CHANGING ATTITUDES TO PROMOTE A CLIMATE OF SAFETY

Copyright Material
Paper No. ESW2013-28

Kyla Kruse
Communications Director
Energy Education Council - Safe Electricity
400 Chatham Road, Suite 201
Springfield, IL 62704
USA
kkruse@energyedcouncil.org

Abstract – Electrical accidents can have deadly and tragic
consequences that extend far beyond the job site. A climate of
safety must be created in the workplace in order to help
prevent such accidents. Increasing electrical safety
awareness and knowledge is one vital step, but technical
information alone is often too faceless and distant to affect
attitudes toward safety. Using the educational outreach done
with the stories of Jim Flach and Tom Dickey, this paper
addresses how personal stories can be used to foster
attitudinal changes toward safe work practices, resulting in an
enhanced climate of safety.
Index Terms — Safety management, Risk management,
Workplace safety, Electricity, Education, Training, Personal
stories.
I. INTRODUCTION
Electrical accidents pose serious safety risks in the
workplace. The tragic reality is that the majority of these
accidents can be prevented if people take the necessary
steps to be safe around electricity. This paper outlines the
effects of electrical accidents; the need to address attitudes
along with knowledge in safety communications; and how
personal stories can influence attitudes.
II. ELECTRICAL ACCIDENTS
From overhead power lines to household current—electrical
accidents can take many shapes and forms. Equipment
continues to get bigger, existing electrical infrastructure
continues to age, and humans continue to take chances.
However, it only takes one accident to change a life forever.
A. Statistics
Employee injuries from electric shock and fatalities from
electrocution are recorded each year. Electrical injuries can
be direct or indirect—from levels as low as 3 milliamperes.
“…Involuntary muscular reaction from the electric shock can
cause bruises, bone fractures and even death resulting from
collisions or falls. Electrical fires can cause first, second, or
third degree burns. Electric shock, heat and fire from arc flash,
and pressure, shrapnel, and sound from arc blast are all
hazards to the employee from electricity.” [1]
According to the 2008 Census of Fatal Occupational
Injuries, electrical power-line installers and repairers
experienced a total of 35 fatalities and had a fatality rate of
29.8 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. [2] The
Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2006 through 2007
reported 250 deaths from contact with electric current. [3]
The Heinrich Accident Triangle and the Electrical Accident
Triangle have both been used to show the relationship
between recordable accidents and fatalities—showing the
general relationship to be 30:1 and 10:1, respectively. “This
should convince each and every one of us that we simply
cannot tolerate unsafe electrical behaviors that result in
injuries. The stakes are simply, ‘too high’.” [4]
According to National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, electrocution is the third leading category in work-
related deaths among 16 and 17-year-old workers and is the
cause of 12 percent of all workplace deaths among young
workers. [5]
It is not only young workers. Complacency among
experienced workers is very dangerous. “The problem…is that
because incidents may happen only once in a while, people
underestimate the risks and take shortcuts.” [6]
B. Impacts
Statistics tell only part of the story. The impact of each
person directly involved in an electrical accident has an
exponential impact—on family, friends, co-workers, and
communities. Not only can an individual lose his or her life or
cause physical harm to him/herself, but he or she can lose the
ability to work and draw an income, bring mental anguish to
family and friends, create huge medical expenses, have to
undergo related surgeries for many years, change a spouse’s
work status, lose the ability to partake in hobbies once
enjoyed, among other consequences.
III. KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES
Experienced professionals have a great deal of
knowledge—facts and information—about electricity.
Education is used to train apprentices and others new to the
industry. It is also used as a refresher for more experienced

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workers. However being safe is more than knowing what
steps to take. It is also making the choice to put safety first.
Attitudes can be defined as “relatively enduring evaluative
responses to an idea, object, activity, policy, or value.”
Effective persuasion can create a change in the degree to
which someone’s response in favorable or unfavorable. [7]
If what a person sees as reality is changed, it can result in a
voluntary change in one’s attitude, and consequently,
behavior as well. [8]
Lists of do’s and don’ts increase electrical safety knowledge
but are often too faceless and distant to affect one’s
perception of reality, and consequently, attitudes toward
safety. It is important for workers to understand the
importance of safety precautions and realize that electrical
accidents can happen in an instant—to people just like them.
IV. PERSONAL STORIES
As the statistics reveal, electrical accidents can have tragic,
even deadly, consequences. Effectively sharing personal
stories shows how electrical accidents happen to real people
and change lives forever, fostering an attitude change that
promotes a workplace climate where safety is top of mind.
A. Jim Flach
Jim Flach’s accident happened early in the planting season
when he was operating a crop sprayer in a neighbor’s field.
Jim parked near the edge of the field, which was also near an
overhead power line. While folding up the sprayer arms, the
equipment he was in made contact with the overhead lines.
Jim was severely burned as he stepped down from the
equipment, becoming the path to ground for the deadly
current. He eventually died from his injuries. [9]
Through interviews and video footage, Jim Flach’s family
shared his story. Important safety messages of looking out for
and staying a safe distance from overhead power lines were
shared with more than 400 utility partners and conveyed
through TV public service announcements (PSAs), radio
PSAs, broadcast-quality video played at meetings, billboards,
graphic designs, and news releases. His video was also
available on the SafeElectricity.org website, which received
3,613,809 hits in 2011.
B. Tom Dickey
One day at a construction site, a small job was added to the
day’s work—after electrical contractor Tom Dickey’s safety
gear had already been sent back to the shop. He took a
chance and made a decision in favor of time and efficiency
instead of safety to go ahead and dig a small section for
conduit. This decision almost cost him his life. As an
experienced professional he knew all of the correct
procedures, but while making an adjustment to the conduit’s
entry point in the ground, he made a small slip and received a
high-voltage shock. He survived, but he spent months in the
hospital and still lives with pain every day. [10]
April is National Safe Digging Month and served as the
kickoff for public outreach on digging safely using Tom’s story.
Tom provided a press conference, and a news release
featuring his story was distributed nationally and appeared on
at least 230 websites within two hours of release. [11]
Specialized publications, such as Damage Prevention
Professional (print circulation of 95,000) and Illinois Living
(print circulation of 460,000) also published Tom’s story. TV
PSAs and radio PSAs aired in Illinois, and there was an
approximate net reach of over 8 million people hearing Tom’s
message of safety six times. [12] In addition, broadcast-quality
video for trainings and meetings, online videos, social media
posts, and graphic designs were shared with more than 400
utility partners and used to spread the important message of
“safety first.”
V. CONCLUSIONS
This paper describes how personal stories, such as those of
Jim Flach and Tom Dickey, can be used as a part of training
and education to foster attitudinal changes—specifically to
enhance the degree to which workers respond favorably
toward practices and behaviors that put safety first and
negatively toward taking chances with electricity. Such
personal stories can be effective communication tools in
creating a culture of safety in the workplace in order to
manage risk and prevent electrical accidents.
There are no other organizations currently providing the
communication tools to this degree. The Energy Education
Council does partner with safety related organizations
(example: National Safety Council) to provide electrical safety
education.
VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sincere thanks to the family of Jim Flach and to Tom Dickey
and his family—all of whom have shared their personal stories
to help others be safe and prevent future tragedies.
VII. REFERENCES
[1] Purdue University North Central Center for Occupational
Safety & Health. Electrical Safe Work Practices, 2007, p
2. Westville, IN: PNC.
[2] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
August 2009. National Census of Fatal Occupational
Injuries in 2008. Washington, DC: BLS.
[3] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
August 2008. National Census of Fatal Occupational
Injuries in 2007. Washington, DC: BLS.
[4] Purdue University North Central Center for Occupational
Safety & Health. Electrical Safe Work Practices, 2007,
pp. 6-7. Westville, IN: PNC.
[5] NIOSH, April 2009. Electrical Safety: Safety and Health
for Electrical Trades. Atlanta, GA: CDC.
[6] K.W. Morrison. “The Shocking Truth” in Safety+Health,
National Safety Council at
http://www.nsc.org/safetyhealth/Pages/Electrical%20haz
ards.aspx, 2012.
[7] D.D. Johnston, The Art and Science of Persuasion,
1994, p 16.
[8] D.D. Johnston, The Art and Science of Persuasion,
1994, p 17.
[9] Teach, Learn, Care TLC : Large Equipment Safety.
Prod. Safe Electricity. Energy Education Council, 2011.
DVD.
[10] Teach, Learn, Care TLC : Safe Digging. Prod. Safe
Electricity. Energy Education Council, 2012. DVD.
[11] A. Crisp, WireWatch Report from eReleases, April 9,
2012.
[12] E. Camfield, Illinois Broadcasters Association Report,
Dec. 14, 2012.
VIII. VITA
Kyla Kruse earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication
from Millikin University and her master’s degree in
Communication from University of Illinois. She has worked in
education, outreach, and communications throughout her
career. Her areas of professional interest include attitudinal
changes, organizational communication, and public relations.
Kruse is currently the Communications Director for the
Energy Education Council and its Safe Electricity program.
She oversees message planning, development, and
dissemination for a broad range of communication pieces—
including videos, radio and TV PSAs, articles, graphics,
photos, and social media posts—created for use by utilities.