When a 7,200-volt electrical contact changed his life, it also changed how he thinks about workplace culture, personal accountability, and the cost of complacency. In this session, a journeyman lineman and current safety leader shares his firsthand account of a serious electrical incident—the physical and mental injuries sustained, the long road to recovery, and what it revealed about the 'that's how we've always done it' mindset that too often goes unchallenged in our industry. His story is not just about survival. It is about transformation: how he channeled that experience into a career dedicated to changing safety culture, and how he now serves as Chairman of the Safety Conference for the International Lineman's Rodeo. This session is a powerful reminder that safety culture does not change through policy—it changes through honest conversations, personal accountability, and the courage to speak up.

Session Takeaways:

- Why having difficult conversations with coworkers—about risk, habits, and 'the way we've always done it'—is one of the most important things a utility worker can do
 What the physical and mental recovery from a serious electrical contact actually looks like, and why the full picture matters for building empat
-W:hy and safety awareness - How one person's experience on the wrong end of a safety failure became the foundation for meaningful, lasting culture change across an organization