The Future of Electrical Safety: How Mortenson Sets the Standard
At Mortenson, Electrical Safety Means More
Electricians may have one of the most difficult jobs in the industry—largely because of the combination of technical skills and knowledge needed, the physical labor required, and the risk.
While there are many ways to mitigate the critical risks of electrical work, not all companies prioritize safety the same way. At some firms, 'working hot'—performing tasks on live or energized circuits—is a routine expectation for qualified electrical workers (QEWs), despite the significant dangers involved.
At commercial scale–with work that can feature both low and high-voltage currents, exceptionally specialized equipment, and highly intricate electrical designs, installations, and repairs–a proactive approach to safety is an imperative. With the expansive diversity of electrical work informing and reinforcing our practices at Mortenson, we’ve honed our work in a way that puts safety first every time. Simply put, we execute electrical work differently.
Mortenson is an organization where our culture, expertise, diverse work, and, most importantly, our craft as experts drive our success in electrical safety.
Our Approach to Electrical Safety
In electrical work, where the stakes are high, Mortenson relies on rigorous procedures, proven protocols, and—above all—our people to consistently make the right call. We put people first, approaching electrical safety with a mindset that prioritizes every individual’s well-being. Our ultimate goal is simple: everyone goes home safe, every day.
Safety Excellence Starts with a Plan
Like most things, solid execution in construction starts with the all-important planning phase. In addition to generally creating coordination and efficiency, cost and risk management, and quality work, pre-task planning ensures work gets done safely.
“You hear people that come to work for us from elsewhere remark that we’re way above and beyond any of the safety expectations and planning any other company has, and that means a great deal to our team members,” says Dave Tomlin, Field Operations Manager for Mortenson’s Solar group. Tomlin has been with Mortenson for 16 years and has been fundamental in supporting the team’s success in renewables over Mortenson’s long tenure in the industry and through recent tremendous growth in the last five years.
Pre-task Planning & Collaboration
Typical pre-task planning for electricians’ work at Mortenson includes building an integrated work plan (IWP) or a standard work procedure (SWI). Additionally, regular check-ins are attended by the project crew, supervisor, and foreman at the specific location where work is to be performed. These meetings focus on operational tasks, the identified risks, hazards and exposures, and appropriate control and mitigation measures to be employed, and ensure collaborative sign-off.
“We’ll discuss and document if there's any redline changes that need to be made such as using a different tool or different piece of equipment,” describes Solar Electrical Superintendent Parker Leggett. This documentation and team communication is an important step in a thoughtful verification process to ensure everything is conducted per the established plan.
Beyond Compliance
An example of this thorough process is Daily Dig Permits. All excavation and digging operations on a Mortenson project require a dig permitting process, and no excavation or digging work may proceed until a Daily Dig Permit is reviewed by the appropriate team member. Dig permits are used to locate underground utilities and inform soil type and proper protective systems including sloping, benching, or shoring.
Especially unique to Mortenson are our specifications for when additional live utility work authorization is needed. Within our Solar operations for example, before any shovel hits the ground, a method of procedure (MOP) is required for any work involving more than 50 volts. While this threshold is lower than typical industry standards, it reflects our strong commitment to safety. “Some people could look at that we’re the safety police, but, true electricians, people that truly respect the trade, see how we are really valuing their safety,” Luis Rodulfo, Electrical Superintendent II with the Solar team asserts.
De-Energized Work as the Standard
Contrary to what’s often the norm elsewhere, Mortenson teams do everything possible to avoid “working hot” or electrified work. “We will exhaust every option to not work hot. We'll often schedule outages, bring down circuits, pursue other options, going leaps and bounds to make sure that we don't. Safety before schedule every time. That speaks volumes,” Rodulfo declares.
When “Working-Hot” is Unavoidable
Energized work at Mortenson may be permitted only when it’s demonstrated that deenergizing introduces additional hazards, increased risk, or is infeasible. Examples of additional hazards or increased risk include interruption of life support equipment, deactivation of emergency alarm systems, shutdown of hazardous location ventilation equipment, or when a task is demonstrated infeasible in a de-energized state due to equipment design or operational limitations. Furthermore, Mortenson requires written notification through an energized electrical permit completed by/submitted to and accepted by the highest level of group leadership prior to the start of energized electrical work.
A Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Procedure Success Story
One recent success story in particular highlights how exemplary electrical work planning drives stellar results. Tim Potts, Electrical Superintendent II with Mortenson’s Data Center group joined the team with a wealth of experience from his previous role at a public power company. His mission was to revamp the existing lockout/tagout (LOTO) policy, which is a set of procedures that protect workers from hazardous energy while maintaining or repairing equipment.
Potts built strong relationships with key stakeholders and gathered insights from the team to address past challenges and put together training on the policy for effectively maintaining quality and safety standards across the board. In just a few months, Potts and team succeeded in establishing a singular, unified LOTO policy that would be used by all project team members, including trade partners, vendors, and the customer’s team for the hyperscale data center campus in Omaha, Nebraska.
A few months after rolling out the new LOTO policy, the project team underwent a routine compliance audit conducted by an independent third party. The result of the electrical audit was zero issues—the first time in the customer’s history. Along with this achievement, the team was also recognized as the first in the program to successfully deploy a singular policy that encompassed all forms of energy. While the team celebrated this exciting milestone, Potts reinforced the importance of continuous improvement.
“No policy is bulletproof. We need to keep refining it to make it even better.”
- Tim Potts
Undeniably, Potts’ and the team’s efforts have set a new benchmark for excellence in safety, compliance, and quality in our data center construction business that is ripe to be replicated and innovated upon elsewhere.
A Company Culture Second to None
At Mortenson, we see our safety culture as a product of our overall company culture. Our values transcend mere words on a wall or company manual; they are deeply held principles and practices that are seamlessly integrated into our daily conversations and behaviors.
“When researching more about Mortenson, what really resonated with me was the LeadBLU principles and the approach to culture and leadership. These reflected very much what I’d come to learn in my own leadership journey in my career—doing the right thing, servant leadership—and that was really attractive,” says Tim Potts, Electrical Superintendent II with Mortenson’s Data Center group, reflecting on his career shift.
“My favorite thing about working here is the culture. It is by far the best I’ve come across,” says Parker Leggett. Although he’s newer to Mortenson, Leggett brings over 15 years of industry experience and has specialized in renewables for the past five. “I’ve seen projects [with Mortenson] from pre-construction through construction of multiple phases now, and to see the tremendous teamwork around safety is so rewarding. I’ve never experienced that on any other renewables site. Mortenson’s reputation in the industry is impeccable.”
Our exceptional culture is a key reason craft team members choose to build lifelong careers with our organization. “We put our safety culture above the bottom line,” says Rodulfo. “That's one of the big things that people really buy into whenever they see it – that we truly care about you as a person. Getting the job done is important but the way that you go home and the way that you feel working for us matters.”
Thoughtful Hiring Protects Safety Culture
Leaders and safety team members will also credit thoughtful hiring practices as key to fueling a flourishing safety culture. “You want to add somebody to the team that reflects Mortenson’s values,” Rodulfo reflects. With people as our greatest asset as a company, hiring “culture-adds”, or culture champions, is a must. “One might be an expert in their trade. They might be the best at reading prints or able to install thousands of feet of cable every day, et cetera, but if they don't buy into our culture, they’ll leave a wake of negativity wherever they go.”
Being deliberate in our hiring practices, including thoughtfully structured interviews, behavioral interviewing, diverse hiring panels, skills assessments, team member referrals, as well as clearly defining our company culture has been a key step at Mortenson.
Small Things Can Make a Big Difference
Newcomers to Mortenson may find some rather basic things our teams do uniquely to be real differentiators. Rodulfo shares, “One thing that often stands out to new people is simply us giving ice and water in the morning.” He adds that the teams onsite also have resources for taking care of small-scale things like first aid. “We’ve got you covered. Team members take advantage of that, and some companies don’t offer it.” Rodulfo proudly states, “It's the small things that you do for people, like making the things they need to do their jobs easily accessible, that they truly take into account and that set the tone.”
Exceptional Foundations: Electrical Apprenticeship Programs
Early talent craft workers seeking apprenticeships have come to expect an exceptional experience at Mortenson and one where our key values, principles, and practices are lived out daily. New talent can be steeped in our exceptional Zero Injuries safety culture and avoid jostling between different contractors and varying practices related to safety, setting them up for long-term success.
Where do you want to build your career?
Where you work—and the conditions you’re expected to work in—matter, especially for qualified electrical workers. At Mortenson, safety isn’t a checkbox or a compromise; it’s a core value that outweighs convenience or cost. We actively involve craft team members and leaders in planning and executing safe work, and we hold ourselves and one another accountable to that standard—because getting everyone home safely at the end of the day is non-negotiable.