Vegetation Management Safety & Human Performance

Lewis Services Director of Safety Alaina Zieglar v2

Alaina Zieglar, Vice President, Safety and Human Performance

Finish each day injury and incident free

This is Lewis’ Safety Vision and daily commitment to each other, our teams, and the customers we serve.

Why? Because, at Lewis, safety is paramount. Safety is not a set of simple one-and-done tasks to be checked off a list. Our safety practices are continuous, repeatable, and non-negotiable. They involve critical behaviors that are executed intentionally with precision, care, and keen attention to detail.

As leaders in safety, Lewis is shepherding a transformative merging of Human Performance methodologies, equipment modernization, and technological advancements.

With a relentless commitment to worker safety, Lewis has pioneered industry-leading programs—such as 9 to Know© and the Uncertainty Gauge—and collaborates with gold-standard partners and programs, including Motive AI technology, Smith Driver Safety, and WorkCare®.

At Lewis, there are no “small things” when it comes to safety. We believe that every step, action, and decision—no matter how seemingly minor—is a vital component in our overall safety strategy. We also believe that every person plays an important role in creating a culture of shared responsibility. When each team member—from the newest hire to the most senior staff—holds themselves and others accountable in pursuit of continuous improvement, everyone succeeds.

Relaunching Lewis’ 9 to Know©

Safety is first in all we do. It is critical across our entire company. It is a top focus in every division, department, and team. Safety is what sends our employees home at night.

With stacked hands and a firm commitment to the highest safety standards, Lewis is proud to relaunch the 9 to Know^©—nine of Lewis’ non-negotiable safety requirements that build accountability to prevent incident.

	360 Degree Walk Around and Spotter While Backing Up: Before moving any vehicle or piece of equipment, the driver or their designee shall conduct a 360 degree walk around and a spotter shall be in place before backing any vehicle or piece of equipment.
	Seat Belt Use Required: Employees shall wear seat belts at all times while operating or riding in a vehicle or piece of equipment so equipped.
	Work Zone Protection (Traffic Control) Established: Employees shall always use the required barriers and safety equipment to define the work area and make it safe and secure.
	Fall Protection Use Required: A full body harness and shock-absorbing lanyard shall be in proper use 100% of the time while operating an aerial lift device on or off road. Proper fall protection shall be in proper use 100% of the time for climbing operations when ascending, descending, and working aloft.
	Minimum Approach Distance (MAD) Maintained: Employees shall maintain MAD at all times. This includes working aloft in a tree, operating an aerial lift device, operating any off-road equipment, and using tools.
	Two-Handed Chainsaw Use Required: Under no circumstance shall any employee operate a chainsaw with one hand either aloft or on the ground.
	Drop Zone Procedures Followed: All employees shall establish and adhere to the drop zone as defined in the drop zone policy for all aloft and felling operations.
	Safety Rated Leg Protection Required While Cutting on the Ground: Chainsaw chaps or chainsaw pants shall be properly worn whenever a chainsaw is used on the ground.
	Remove Harness Before Chipping: Employees shall not wear a full body harness or climbing gear while operating a chipper. Chipping with chaps is also prohibited.

Re-thinking Safety

Industries have long used safety practices that attempt to control workers’ behavior, then punish them when there is a failure. These safety practices are based on a view of the world that is ordered and predictable. Traditional safety spends a lot of effort looking backward, counting, and analyzing incidents, and is defined by the actions to avoid.

The fact is, compared with jobs in factories and many other environments, there is little a tree worker has control over. The level of variability is extraordinary. Workers climb trees with a chainsaw on their belts or manipulate the buckets of lift trucks to reach the tops of trees, removing limbs within several feet of live power lines. They work in the rain, snow, heat, and cold. Every tree is different, and many have hidden traps. Emergent risks, surprise, and uncertainty are common. At Lewis, we learn from all the good work – the normal day-to-day work – that we perform. We believe there are valuable lessons in all the miles we cover, all the trees we take down, and all the days we work successfully: all the Jobs Done Right®.

Consider this comment from TCI Magazine, February 1, 2022: “… arboricultural operations are still among the leading industrial activities for fatal and nonfatal injuries. Compared to all industries, tree workers have at least 15 times the fatality rate (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020a) and three times the nonfatal rate (BLS 2018).” (“Tree Worker Safety Update by the Numbers: Another Us vs. Them,” by John Ball, PH.D., CTSP)

Many workers in utility line clearance have long said, “If you do this job long enough, you will get hurt.” We don’t accept this!  That’s why the Lewis team is challenging the status quo.  We are on a mission-critical journey to save lives and prevent serious injuries by embracing a new view of safety and human performance – and that’s exciting.

A New View of Vegetation Management Safety Book Cover

Lewis is setting a new standard for Safety.

What is "New View" at its core?

“New view” is an operating philosophy that changes how we see the world. It’s a way of thinking about work and safety and our actions and activities as leaders wherein the leader is a listener and a learner. It is a way of doing things to improve work, so that our workers can do what they do every day better. It’s a way to evolve our programs and practices to prepare for emergent risks, understanding that the surprise will happen. We collaborate, we challenge, and most of all – we learn.

Human Performance expands beyond error management to building adaptive capacity that is necessary for highly variable work.

At Lewis, we believe workers create safety through having options ready such as different equipment to do a job more safely or workers who are multi-skilled or extra leaders in the field during storm response. Adaptive capacity also comes in the form of knowledge and to this end, we train on technical skills such as roping and rigging and how to perform a variety of cuts.

Download our book, “A New View of Safety,” for details and examples of how we approach this mission-critical aspect of vegetation management.

To be recognized as leaders of change and deliver a new view of safety, we:

Understand that learning is the key to keeping people safe
Focus heavily on identifying potential serious injury risks
Have a dynamic view of risk for everyday work
Engage workers as problem solvers – people are the solution
Value expertise, partnering with workers and safety researchers to figure out how to create safety for high-risk work in highly variable conditions

Flipping the narrative changed our perspective!

No Exceptions. No Compromise.

We are proud of our human performance tools and practices including:

Uncertainty Gauge (Lewis invented)
Press Pause (Lewis invented)
Close Call Program (Industry leading)
Rich learning conversations on our Safety Leadership Calls
Tailgates that include storytelling and drills

Want to read our latest perspectives on safety? Check out Lewis Insights for articles on safety and more!

Contact Us

Partner with Lewis. Choose Agility + Ability. Get the Job Done Right®

Don’t settle for less than LEWIS, with anyone else too small to handle the crucial jobs. And don’t settle for less than Lewis, with anyone less agile or able. We’re proud to be one of North America’s largest providers of vegetation management services. That is, until we arrive at #1.

First Name

Last Name

Street Address

City

Zipcode

Phone Number

Email Address

Utility

What feedback would you like to share?

What resolution are you seeking?

First Name

Last Name

Company Name

Title

City

Email Address

How did you hear about Lewis Services?

Comments/Questions?

First Name

Last Name

Reason for Contact (select all that apply):

Immediate Need

Pre-Storm Planning

Annual Storm Support Contract

Title

Company/Organization Name

City

Email Address

Phone Number

Comments

First Name*

Last Name*

Media Name*

Title

City

Email*

Inquiry

First Name

Last Name

Company Name

Title

City

Email Address

Phone

Are you considered a minority/diverse vendor?

Yes

No

Please provide a brief description of your company, product, and services

How did you hear about Lewis Services?