Ep 31 - Lineman Hall of Famer Bill Bosch on Safety Culture, Training & the Future of the Trade

47 years in the trade. A spot in the Lineman Hall of Fame, right alongside his father. And the man who wrote National Lineman Appreciation Day on a napkin. Bill Bosch has spent his career leaving a mark on line work, and he's not done yet. On this episode, host Tom Williamson sits down with Bill in Orlando to talk about growing up around the legends of AB Chance, his father's role in saving NASA's Skylab, and the moment early in his career that changed how he saw the job forever. Now VP of Safety & Training at Gridco, Bill makes the case that compliance alone only makes a company "safe on paper," and that real safety comes from a culture of training, mentoring, and coaching. They also dig into why success starts and stops with the general foreman, what the next generation of linemen really wants from leadership, whether line school grads are ready for the field, the push for lineman first responder status, and why the trade is at a crossroads. Presented by Tallman Equipment Company.   (3:29) - 47 Years in the Trade, Starting at Age 10 (6:58) - His Father & the Saving Skylab Story (10:23) - Train, Mentor, Coach: What Makes a Good Lineman (14:37) - The Moment That Humbled Him (18:37) - The Scariest Day: Topping Out (22:07) - Are We Producing the Same Caliber of Journeymen? (24:30) - Compliance vs. Culture: "Safe on Paper" (27:12) - Critical Thinking & Competency-Based Training (29:30) - Workforce Attrition & Growing From Within (31:31) - Success Starts and Stops with the GF (34:53) - What the Next Generation Really Wants (37:14) - Lineman Schools: Are Grads Ready? (41:16) - Advice for Line School Graduates (43:07) - Creating National Lineman Appreciation Day (47:28) - The Push for Lineman First Responder Status (52:21) - Lineman Hall of Fame: Father & Son (58:37) - The Trade at a Crossroads: Curbing Fatalities (1:03:24) - Advice for a 20-Year-Old Apprentice (1:04:52) - Closing & Sign-Off For more episodes, show notes, and to connect with the show, visit https://powergridtalks.com/. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, share it with someone in the industry, and leave a review. It helps us bring more voices from across the utility world to the conversation.