By Tony Khing, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
June 14, 2003. A day Clifton Smith Sr. will never forget.
Clifton, then an electrical technician at the Helms Pumped Storage Plant east of Fresno, was an hour into his shift. He was deep inside the underground plant to replace a failed breaker for one of the water pumps.
Clifton and his coworker, Rick Cheney, were placing a rubber blanket over another existing energized breaker. But an exposed wire, combined with other factors, triggered an electrical explosion.
The explosion blew Clifton 15 feet backwards. If he hadn’t hit a guard rail, Clifton said he “would have gone over the railing and fallen 50 feet down to the basement onto a concrete floor.”
The accident burned more than 40% of Clifton’s body. “From my belly button all the way up to the top part of my forehead,” he said. “I retain heat from the middle of my chest to my right arm all the way up to just past the elbow. I don’t sweat.”
A champion for safety
He didn’t work for more than two years. As a result of Clifton’s accident, all employees at Helms as well as those working on job sites and locations with gas transmission and distribution, substations and electric transmission are now required to wear flame resistant (FR) shirts and pants.
Clifton doesn’t consider himself a pioneer when it comes raising the safety bar at PG&E. But he was certainly a champion for mandatory FR clothing on the job. Clifton believes 90% of his injuries would’ve been prevented if he had worn FR clothing. He traveled to various PG&E locations to share his story of what happened and to convince coworkers of its importance.
“I have a bucket list of the things our department has done that was substantial in making a big difference in the things we do,” said Clifton. “The FR clothing requirement was one of them.”
Clifton appreciates PG&E’s approach to safety. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve tried to be more proactive than reactive,” he said. “Being reactive tells me you don’t really care about me. Being proactive tells me you genuinely care about my well-being.”
‘I just enjoy teaching’
Clifton, who also received the 33rd John A. Britton Gold Medal Award for rescuing a family from a burning home, started his 40th year at PG&E last October. Over his four decades, the native San Franciscan has been in Electric Operations as an apprentice, journeyman electrician, subforeman, electrical technician, maintenance supervisor, construction supervisor, maintenance and construction engineering supervisor.
These days, he’s a senior technical instructor at the electric training facility in Livermore.
Clifton teaches the basics to apprentice and journeyman electricians as well as the Engineers in Training program. He also instructs refresher courses in substation operations.
“I’m giving my all to see to it that when they come to work,” said Clifton, “they get to go back home to their families and enjoy the benefits of a hard day’s work.”
As a former journeyman electrician, Clifton also feels an obligation to pass his knowledge forward.
“It’s a code of ethics,” he said. “A journeyman has an obligation. You must train the people below you. You must take your knowledge and pass that on to improve your classification.
“I just enjoy teaching,” added Clifton, who wanted to be a teacher or a football coach before coming to PG&E.
Football is family
Clifton, whose football career was derailed by a knee injury at Fresno State, has lived the dream through his family.
His son, Clifton Jr., was the second undrafted rookie free agent named to the Pro Bowl. During that season, he returned a kickoff 97 yards and a punt for 70 yards for touchdowns. He accomplished those feats in 2008 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Clifton Jr. also played for the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns.
In addition, Clifton’s grandson, Brandon Smith, ran for 1,900 yards and scored 28 touchdowns in leading Fresno’s Central High School to the 2024 California Interscholastic Federation 1-A state championship game.
‘I’d rather look at the blessing side’
As for the future, Clifton wants to work for “as long as I’m healthy. I love what I do.”
What would Clifton like to be known for? “Probably for my honesty,” he said about his speak-up skills. “I’m not afraid to tell you something. It’s like, ‘If you don’t want to know, don’t ask Cliff because he’s going to tell you the truth, whether it hurts or not.’ It has carried me a long way with this company.”
No matter what happens in the future, Clifton will never forget that day more than 20 years ago.
“There was some divine intervention because I shouldn’t be here today,” he said. “I’d rather look at the blessing side of it than anything else.”
Comments