Women in Safety Excellence
By Abbi Ferri Women make up nearly 50 percent of the global workforce and often experience occupational risks differently than men. However, safety interventions frequently take a one-size-fits-all approach. Women in Safety Excellence (WISE) believes we must advocate...
Contractor Spotlight: Portland Utilities Construction Company, LLC
By Jason Fryer Damage Prevention Liaison Tennessee 811 I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the leadership team at Portland Utilities Construction Company (PUCC) in Portland, Tennessee. I spoke with founder and president Ernie Woodcock, vice president Mike...
Second Retirement’s a Charm
Henry Greer retires after a 56-year career in damage prevention and telecommunications By Michael Downes 811 Magazines Henry Greer isn’t an elected official, nor is he a famous public figure. But if you’ve ever had lunch with him in Mississippi, you’d easily mistake...
Leadership Can Be Rewarding
By Virginia Reames The Policy Center Jackson, MS Once we had a favorite insurance customer. Yes, his premiums were pretty high, but the man’s company never ever had a claim. He even had a .80 Experience Mod on his Workers Comp. That means he had a 20% discount off the...
What Can Hurt Me Today?
By Ketha Molina Damage Prevention Manager Texas 811 Every day before our work begins, we should go through some type of process to evaluate the work for the day as well as the associated hazards. This process can include a self-check as well as a work area inspection...
Steve’s Signal Solutions Distorted Locate Tones
By Steve Benzie When we apply a locate tone to a buried utility, we create an electromagnetic field around the utility. Its this field that we detect when we are utility locating. In an ideal world, the signal radiates out from the utility in a nice predictable way....
Leadership, Teamwork and Survival Instincts
By Larry Cole, Ph.D. TeamMax, Inc. You will decide if your survival instincts are a friend or foe to the collaborative teamwork required for damage prevention. No, this article is not about psychobabble, so let me explain. We are hardwired to survive which gives rise...
Jacobi Perspective – Leadership
By John Jacobi There are many definitions of leadership. I did a little research. Kevin Kruse wrote a short article in Forbes titled “What is Leadership?” (see https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/04/09/what-is-leadership/#3e7a28455b90). He discusses what...
