Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1087775
18 SAFETY Higher than a Kite Getting high on the job is usually a firing offense. But for Brent Robinson and other Alabama Power Crane Services team members, it's legal. "We rarely work on the ground," said Robinson, crane specialist, General Services Complex (GSC) – General Garage. "It's nothing to work anywhere from 20 to 200 feet in the air, so safety has to be at the forefront of everything we do." Staying focused and paying attention to detail are the keys to the group's safety success, said Kenny Lee, crane specialist, Miller Fleet Garage. "We work in dangerous conditions, so we have to plan out the job and follow all safety precautions," Lee said. "We wear our hard hats, safety glasses, earplugs and other personal protection equipment and, if we're 6 feet or more from the ground, use our lanyards to tie ourselves to the crane. We also turn off any connections to make sure the equipment is de-energized." Robinson and Lee are part of the company's small, highly specialized Crane Services group. This seven-member team in Fleet Services Operations, most of whom have more than 25 years of experience under their belts, conducts monthly and annual inspections on about 2,920 overhead and mobile cranes, chain falls, aerial lifts and forklifts across Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power and Southern Company. Through these inspections, they ensure the equipment meets all standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the American National Standards Institute and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It's the team's job to maintain and repair the cranes and other similar equipment, which means they are on call 24/7. "Every day is different," said Robinson, who worked at DeShazo Crane Co. in Alabaster before joining Alabama Power 16 years ago. "We plan out our schedule, but when a crane breaks down, we drop everything and go fix it, even if that means we have to drive two hours away to another location. We're proactive and try to catch as much stuff as we can during the inspections. We take ownership of these cranes." CRANE SERVICES CREW WORKS 200 FEET ABOVE GROUND by Carla Davis Kilgore and Lee inspect crane components during one of many jobs across the South.