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Ron Stewart: Director of helicopter operations at Wilson Construction Co.

By Katie Kuehner-Hebert | Sep 11, 2024
Ron Stewart, Director of helicopter operations at Wilson Construction Co.

After some three decades of flying helicopters—with more than half of that time in the power utility maintenance and construction industry—Ron Stewart knows about making sure “the last 100 lbs. of fuel in the tank” belongs to your family.

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After some three decades of flying helicopters—with more than half of that time in the power utility maintenance and construction industry—Ron Stewart knows about making sure “the last 100 lbs. of fuel in the tank” belongs to your family.

Stewart is the director of helicopter operations at Wilson Construction Co., Canby, Ore., and is responsible for all oversight, training and continued business development of helicopter operations.

His experience led to his understanding the need for training and implementation of customized crew resource management focused on the relationship between utility lineworkers, ground crews, mechanics and pilots to ensure accurate risk assessments and hazard mitigation measures.

What sparked your interest in getting into the safety profession?

The spark for me came out of observing the operational interactions between strong-willed pilots and equally strong-willed linemen. The challenge has become to better understand the human elements and behaviors that drive our daily lives, and to find ways to enhance our organizational culture.

What safety practices have been particularly effective?

About 10 years ago, this company began to invest in human performance improvement (HPI) training for all our field leadership and crews. At first, the value of these principles was difficult to fully comprehend. However, for me, most of these principles were directly in line with what the aviation industry refers to as safety management systems (SMS).

SMS first became broadly integrated into the airlines back in the mid-80s after a series of high-profile accidents revealed several key systemic failures and toxic cultural issues, which denied any member of the crew the ability to question the captain. At its core, SMS was designed to enhance situational awareness by taking advantage of all available human resources, to accurately assess a given situation, and to call out any observations or deviations from standard operating procedures while promoting a culture of open dialogue.

Today, we refer to this component of HPI as “stop work authority.” I believe that safety is the result of an effective culture that actively promotes observations and interaction of all crew members—no matter their title or position.

Is there a specific injury or almost-injury that changed how you thought about safety on the job?

With more than 30 years as a commercial helicopter pilot, I have seen many tragic events and have lost several friends. Early in my career, I felt a sense of separation from these accidents with the perspective that it wouldn’t happen to me. 

Over time, I’ve grown to understand that not only could it happen to me, but with the lack of understanding of my own thought processes, it should have happened to me. These hindsight lessons have shown me that more needs to be done in terms of educating workers as to how we process and accept various risks. 

What challenges do you face in managing safety responsibilities?

One of our biggest challenges is promoting the right culture within the organization. It is a fine line between exhibiting mission confidence and becoming overly confident and complacent. It takes the right people to maintain a level of humility and to recognize that we are all fallible and prone to errors.

The real challenge is to limit the effect or consequences of these errors with situational awareness and hazard recognition. Crews must continually be asking themselves, What could go wrong in this situation? What is the possible result if that occurs? And what barriers have we put in place to ensure a positive outcome? 

How do you encourage crews to take safety seriously?

Make it personal! One of my early mentors in my aviation career told me, “The last 100 lbs. of fuel in that tank doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to your wife and kids.” That statement has stuck with me throughout my career, and it had the effect of permanently modifying my behavior. I can’t count the number of times that phrase has played in my head as I’ve watched the fuel needle pass through 110 lbs., while contemplating my options or considering another turn. It has become a forced real-time risk assessment that I will never forget.

I’m not saying that this simple statement will have the same effect on everyone as it did on me, but I do believe that there are ways to shift the focus of a task away from its completion, and onto the methods being employed and at what cost. Getting individuals to think about the possible ramifications of a critical error to themselves and their families is a huge first step toward them taking safety seriously.

Header image: Ron Stewart

About The Author

KUEHNER-HEBERT is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience. Reach her at [email protected].  

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