Employees Share Good Catch Story

Floyd Mutter

(Story by Teresa Hall)

ABINGDON, Va. — Damage to the three-phase buck-arm pole struck by a tractor trailer in downtown Abingdon was undeniable, but a plan to safely replace the weighted-down pole wasn’t nearly as apparent until a curious off-duty employee drove up and put his decades of experience to work.

Floyd Mutter’s contributions caught the attention of Kingsport District Manager Isaac Webb who worked with Distribution Systems Supervisor Tony Miller to gather the details and submit it as a Good Catch.

“It didn’t matter that it was Floyd’s day off,” said Webb. “He saw the damage and stopped to help. He assessed the situation and took the time to not only assist, but teach the crew by sharing his ideas and a common sense approach that worked.”

A crane safely lifts a damaged power pole so that crews can remove a tractor trailer hauling a low boy.

The power pole broke in three spots when it was struck by a tractor trailer hauling a low boy.

As the truck driver attempted to make a right turn at the intersection, the back tire of the low boy clipped the bottom of the pole, which was weighted down with conductors, cable, street and traffic lights.

With more than three decades of experience in the utility field, Mutter, a line servicer, offered a valuable suggestion to the team that worked and kept the crew and public safe. He encouraged the crew to contact a nearby crane company for assistance.

In 20 minutes, a crane operator was on site and used the machinery to lift up on the pole arms, which allowed the crews to safely remove the truck and begin work to remove and replace the pole and equipment without line of fire and stored energy issues.

Miller said that Mutter’s actions exemplified the Power Up and Lead concept of Shadow of the Leader.

Mutter took the time to stop on his day off and coach the employees through a challenging situation.