8
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
|
July/August 2024
SAFETY
DEDICATED SKILLS TRAINER A FIRST FOR UTILITY
Evan Beck, arborist skills trainer, Davey Institute, joined
Davey one year ago, to become a trainer on the Eastern
Utility services' DTE Energy account.
Tim Roberts, currently a regional safety specialist, health
and safety department, previously worked as a line
clearance coach on the account. Roberts said Beck is the
first skills trainer at Davey to work on a utility account.
Trainers before Beck have principally supported Residential/
Commercial services.
Roberts said Beck travels from crew to crew, training
approximately 230 Davey employees on the DTE
Energy account.
"There are typically six to 12 crews in one spot, often
referred to as 'show up' locations, where crews meet
to stage the work," Beck said. "The training is different day-
to-day, depending on the work being performed at that time.
I communicate ahead of time with the general foremen on
anything like a particular tree that might involve a technical
need like different amounts of rigging or even climbing."
The driving force for piloting Beck's role in utility is to work
with employees to get them more comfortable and familiar
with climbing systems and work positioning, as well as
proper pruning techniques.
"I think the most rewarding thing is seeing the aha moment,"
Beck said. "Having a connection with the people in the field
by helping them with a concept they were struggling with,
or even giving that person confidence to do the work
with more tools in their toolbox."
Josh Perro, area manager, Great Lakes region, Eastern
Utility services, is the main DTE Energy account manager.
"Our number one goal with the training program is we're
really focusing our time on training the employees and
putting people first," Perro said.
Troy Keteyian, foreman, DTE Energy account, has trained
with Beck multiple times, once or twice a month over the
past year.
"He's one of the best trainers I've had the pleasure of
working with, as he's proficient in climbing and rigging
techniques," Keteyian said. "He brings to light a lot of
different techniques. He taught me how to do a ponytail
redirect, which I'd never seen before. He knows how to
communicate and uses constructive criticism.
"Evan is breaking the mold for a lot of people, and I think that's
one of the key points about this job is that you can never
get stagnant. It's an ever-changing field," Keteyian added.
"A big passion of mine is climbing," said Evan Beck, pictured above.
"I climb with our employees, ideally in the same tree, to be as close
as possible. I try to be relatively close, within earshot, so we can go
over things in real time."
