Midwest U.S. Based Utility
Davey Resource Group, Inc. quickly adapts their work practices to provide quality assurance checks to roughly 200 transmission line miles during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Challenge
How can you ensure work is completed safely and efficiently without being physically present? A transmission-focused utility in the Midwest has been facing this question since the outbreak of COVID-19. In order to navigate the new normal posed by COVID-19, they counted on Davey Resource Group, Inc. (DRG) to provide creative solutions to limit exposure and maximize accountability in the field.
The Solution
The utility’s team trusts DRG with the quality assurance of their vegetation management program, and DRG has adapted their work practices to guarantee excellence. To monitor vegetation management progress at a safe distance, DRG conducts socially-distanced observations to ensure the work of other contractors meets the utility’s standards. Trends in safety performance are monitored, with regular reports being sent to the utility digitally to keep them informed.
When DRG team members visit worksites, they document the work via pictures and the utility’s proprietary vegetation management survey app. The survey information is uploaded in real-time to a GIS site monitored by the utility’s vegetation management specialists. Pictures from the worksites have proved helpful, and the practice will be continued even after the teams return to the field.
The Result
One of the client’s Senior Vegetation Management Specialists said, “It’s hard for us to not be physically there, [but] this gives us the ability to address any potential or current issues and acknowledge positive behaviors.” DRG’s ability to maintain quality assurance checks despite the circumstances has been vital to confirm work is being done properly as the client’s contractors have cleared roughly 200 transmission line miles in the previous three months.
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