Inside APS’s Safety Coach Program: How Human Performance Is Changing Safety | Vinney Massey & Darrell Yoakum | 201
Tue Feb 03 2026
In this episode of Powerline Podcast, I sit down with safety professionals from Arizona Public Service to unpack a different way of thinking about safety, one rooted in Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and the belief that error is normal, learning is vital, and blame doesn’t improve work.
We explore how HOP shows up in real-world, high-risk environments like linework and substations, why traditional safety approaches often fall short, and how APS’s Safety Coach Program is helping shift safety culture from compliance to learning. This conversation goes deep into trust, accountability without blame, and how crews move from feeling like “the problem” to becoming part of the solution.
The group shares hard-earned lessons from decades in the trade, from working the tools, to foreman roles, to shaping safety culture at scale. We talk openly about resistance in the field, measuring impact beyond incident rates, and what it really takes to build a learning organization where people feel safe to speak up.
🎧 Topics include:
• Human & Organizational Performance explained
• Why error is normal in complex work
• Accountability vs blame
• The APS Safety Coach Program
• Building trust between safety and crews
• Creating a true learning culture
• The future of safety in the trades
This episode is for anyone who’s tired of safety being treated like paperwork and ready to talk about how work actually gets done by people.
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In this episode of Powerline Podcast, I sit down with safety professionals from Arizona Public Service to unpack a different way of thinking about safety, one rooted in Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and the belief that error is normal, learning is vital, and blame doesn’t improve work. We explore how HOP shows up in real-world, high-risk environments like linework and substations, why traditional safety approaches often fall short, and how APS’s Safety Coach Program is helping shift safety culture from compliance to learning. This conversation goes deep into trust, accountability without blame, and how crews move from feeling like “the problem” to becoming part of the solution. The group shares hard-earned lessons from decades in the trade, from working the tools, to foreman roles, to shaping safety culture at scale. We talk openly about resistance in the field, measuring impact beyond incident rates, and what it really takes to build a learning organization where people feel safe to speak up. 🎧 Topics include: • Human & Organizational Performance explained • Why error is normal in complex work • Accountability vs blame • The APS Safety Coach Program • Building trust between safety and crews • Creating a true learning culture • The future of safety in the trades This episode is for anyone who’s tired of safety being treated like paperwork and ready to talk about how work actually gets done by people.