High voltage worker stories: Olin Clawson

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Owner 

Prior roles: Journeyman Lineman, Superintendent, General Manager 
Location: St. George, Utah
years in the trade: 32 years

@Karmaquence 
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A journeyman knows that ultimately it is up to them and no one else to ensure they go home in one piece each night

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Stories in the trade

This series hands the mic to the folks who keep the lights on—how they got in, what they’ve seen, and where the trade’s headed

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How did you first hear about the trade and how did you get into your first role? 

My Uncle was the General Foreman for Great Southwest Construction Company. After my first year in College he offered me a job as a laborer. 

What’s one thing about this work that outsiders totally misunderstand?

How technical the work can be. It’s not all just brute force and long hours. There’s a great degree of technically challenging work that has to be understood and navigated. 

What’s your proudest moment on the job so far?

In 2016 I received the American Public Powers Mark Crisson Leadership and Managerial Excellence Award. One manager is selected out of all Municipal Utilities across the USA and our Territories. 
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It’s not all just brute force and long hours. There’s a great degree of technically challenging work that has to be understood and navigated.

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What’s the most high-pressure or intense situation you’ve had to handle?

Trigger Warning: This response includes discussion of workplace injury, substance abuse, and suicide. Please read with care.

Where to start… I’ve had whole substations blow up leaving thousands out of power including the regional hospital and our business district, major storms taking out massive parts of the distro system, guys being hurt on the job etc. I’ve hosted two major lineman rodeos with teams from across the Nation and Canada attending. Was the host City/Utility for the Wrangler High School National Finals Rodeo and had to build out and service over 10,000 temp RV hookups and horse stalls.

 

Most impactful: Had a lineman come to work intoxicated and ended up dropping a hot phase down into the comm line, hurting a comm worker a few poles away. I had to let him go but I stayed in close contact with him throughout the whole situation. I wanted to help him get control of his addiction. Unfortunately, his son called one day and said his father had hung himself that morning in the back yard. I had just talked to him the day before. He told me that he was committed to getting things cleaned up and that he was going to come back to work for me. At that point he’d worked for me for nearly 6 years. We were bucket partners at times, coworkers too. More than that, I considered him my friend. That was 14 years ago. It’s still incredibly hard for me to not feel responsible for what happened. I second guess my choice all the time. There hasn’t been a holiday, or child’s birthday, that I haven’t spoken to his wife or helped out with the things their father would have done had he been here with us. Writing this down is hard. Wow. He was a tremendous lineman. Exceptional in many ways. He made a mistake but it was one that was fixable. I’m heart broken even today over his loss.

 

Hardest: I started a New company in 2019. We secured a contract with NTUA (Navajo Tribal Utility Authority) and began work in the height of Covid. The Navajo Tribe was particularly impacted by the pandemic. Because of this, they implemented extremely strict rules of engagement for those working and living on the Reservation. For example: if you left the reservation for any reason at all, once you returned you had to Quarantine for 14 days before you could return to work. This meant that I was effectively barred from leaving the Reservation, since leaving meant you missed those days plus the 14 quarantine you’d be in once you returned. Because of this, I started work in early October 2020 worked straight through without a day off or seeing my family till March 2021.

What’s the hardest part (physical/mental) of the job and how do you handle it?

Managing the men. The many personalities and problems that come with working with imperfect people. (It’s also the most rewarding)

What kind of person thrives in this work? What kind of person doesn’t?

A person who leans into Rugged Individualism will succeed in the trades. Linemen are fueled by confidence, conference in themselves specifically. I think this is true because a journeyman knows that ultimately it is up to them and no one else to ensure they go home in one piece each night. The catch is that this confidence has to be backed up by being informed, educated and skilled.

 

People who aren’t confident will struggle under the weight of constant fear, apprehension and second guessing themselves. We had a lineman transfer in from a sister coop who had been burned badly working a 14.4/24.9 kV 3Ø transformer bank. I was running the Trouble Wagon then and they assigned him to me. For the first few weeks everything was hard for him. Changing out a streetlight caused him anxiety. He was paralyzed by the fear that had taken root in him after the accident. His confidence was shattered and it took a long time to get him past that and to learn to trust in his training and finally himself. 
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Do not take someone else’s word on something unless you’re willing to accept the consequences that may come because of it.  

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What do you wish someone had told you when you first started on the job?

Give up some of that overtime and take that trip with your family. My family has been on several cruises and vacations without me because I was focused on making as much money for them as possible.

What advice would you give to someone who's just thinking about joining the trades?

Research it, talk to someone in the trades, ask your questions and if you’re still interested—do it. I can’t imagine a better way to earn a living and support a family. 

Have you worked in both union and non-union environments? 

Both. Culture with Union hands is different. Union hands are more transient, more churn, but if you’re wanting to do great work in different areas of the country including working on storm reclamation, unions are great for that. If both types of organizations are doing the things they are supposed to, the training will be the same.

What’s something that went wrong on the job but taught you something important?

Another contractor called me to ask for assistance with trouble shooting and changing out two large 3Ø transformers and about 1000’ of underground cable. By the time I arrived they had already cut the old URD cables (direct bury) and removed the old transformers. Once we completed all the work, we reenergized but both new transformers were still single phasing. After I trouble shot the system myself, it turned out there was a bad OCR just before the dip pole. To confirm my suspicions I went and checked both of the padmount transformers they had removed. Both were good. Neither of the transformers or the cable that had been changed out were bad.

 

I was reminded that we should always follow the steps we’re taught when trouble shooting. Had they done that a very costly mistake could have been avoided. I was also reminded that you should always verify things for yourself. Do not take someone else's word on something unless you’re willing to accept the consequences that may come because of it.  
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A person who leans into Rugged Individualism will succeed in the trades

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How do you handle stacking OT or traveling for the job while having a family?

You have to have lots of communication. Wives and kids will handle the time away better if they know you’re still vested, interested and demonstrate that you want to be included in what’s happening back at home. This means taking the time to call, FaceTime and text. It’s easy to get into a rut where you come home, call and talk to the wife for 5 minutes and then grab dinner and head to bed. It’s a slow creep and even after years of working away I still have to consciously remind myself to keep this commitment.  

What’s your career path look like (past, present, and future plans)?

I started as a laborer, got into the apprenticeship, topped out and worked outside construction until I went to work for a municipal utility. After a few years I had worked my way into leadership and eventually the Director of Utilities, which included Water Sewer and Solid Waste. I went on to run two large Municipal Utilities and serve as a Board of Director for APPA (American Public Power Association). I left Public Power to start a couple companies working in the utility space. I currently have Crews working in multiple States in the Electrical Utility space  

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⚡ Features of real workers in the trade 
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⚡ Tips for the trade

Just real experiences, real lessons learned, and real advice from people who do this work every day.

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We're High Voltage Industries

High Voltage Industries started because the most dangerous and essential work in America is also the most invisible. You put your lives on the line every single day and people don't even know what you do. 

 

We're here to share your stories and honor the sacrifices you make so people can flip a switch every day. And we make gear for those who literally risk their lives to keep the world running.

This is your story

Working in conditions others won't face, taking risks others can’t even imagine, solving problems others can't understand, carrying responsibility others can't handle. The grid doesn't maintain itself.

 

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