Interview a Utility Worker
Buckle Up Club member Eli Powell (Jr) interviews Mr. Eddie Sims
Question 1: What’s your name and employer?
Answer: Eddie Sims, Dyersburg Electric for ten years.
Question 2: What did your average day on the job look like for you?
Answer: First they would put out traffic signs. Then they would have a “tailgate meeting” where jobs were assigned. Then they would get to work, and after they were done they would pick up and go home.
Question 3: How much time did you spend in a work zone or along a busy road?
Answer: Usually everyday, seven hours a day.
Question 4: Does it ever feel unsafe? Have you ever heard about or witnessed any accidents in a work zone?
Answer: He felt unsafe all the time. He was up in a bucket one day and got scraped by an eighteen wheeler. He also saw a traffic cop get hit by a car at a fourway. The linemen had to get out and direct traffic. The traffic cop was ok with a concussion and a broken leg.
Question 5: Why is Work Zone Awareness Week important?
Answer: That’s someones family member out there working that needs to return safely. STAY OFF OF YOUR PHONES WHILE DRIVING!
Question 6: What advice do you want to give to teenage drivers?
Answer: Stay off of your phones, especially in workzones. That’s somebodies mother or father out there working.
Question 7: What was the most difficult part of your job?
Answer: The dangers of the job. Not only the dangers of other people driving by you but the electrical dangers as well. It is a physical demanding job.
Question 8: What was the best part of your job?
Answer: Getting to be outside everyday.
Question 9: For our upcoming graduates, what route do you suggest for them to take to be a part of your team?
Answer: Go to electrical school, there is one in East TN that you should go to. From there they will give you a job and a base pay. Other job opportunities will sprout from this.
