MANAGEMENT- WORKFLOW APPLICATIONS
18 maintaining consistent safety practices requires tools that support communication, documentation and continuous learning,” McDonald said.“ Central to our approach are tailboards and JHAs, which provide pre-job safety alignment before work begins. These activities define job scope, establish roles, identify hazards and critical risks, confirm required personal protective equipment and reinforce communication and stopwork authority.”
Traditionally, these assessments were captured through paper forms, McDonald noted.“ The challenges associated with paper-based JHAs include that they require extensive writing while often limiting meaningful group discussion about safety risks,” he added.“ On many jobsites, one employee completes the form, creating uncertainty about whether all crew members share the same understanding of the work scope, assigned roles and safety concerns.”
To address those issues, Entergy implemented SmartTagIt, a mobile application available on iOS and Android devices. The platform functions as a digital JHA form and a method for recording tailboard conversations. McDonald described it as a simple and easy-to-use application that allows workers to share information, coach one another and mitigate potential hazards.
According to McDonald, SmartTagIt helps strengthen both the auditory and visual learning process, enabling employees to gain greater confidence in the work being performed.“ The application was designed to improve hazard recognition and daily safety conversations while providing leaders with a tool for coaching and positive recognition,” he said.“ It also creates an easier way to share information when additional employees arrive at a jobsite.”
Another major goal is consistency. SmartTagIt provides what McDonald called a“ one way approach” for conducting JHAs and tailboards throughout Power Delivery operations.“ It reduces paperwork by allowing employees to focus on meaningful conversations rather than extensive
Telecom & Utility Construction | Fall 2026
AI-supported technologies are improving hazard recognition, job hazard assessments and workplace safety conversations across Entergy’ s fleet operations, which serves customers across four states with more than 7,000 assets.
documentation,” he related.“ Features such as talk-to-text functionality make the electronic process faster and easier while preserving important information.
“ Strong leadership support also played an important role in SmartTagIt implementation,” McDonald continued.“ Leaders monitor JHAs and safety conversations, providing both positive and constructive feedback to improve hazard recognition, planning and communication.”
The newest development at Entergy is the addition of AI-powered insights through the SmartTagIt platform’ s“ Ask a Question” feature. Users can enter natural-language questions and receive immediate answers generated from historical JHA data.
“ That capability helps identify trends, assess performance and gain context from existing safety records,” McDonald explained.“ Example questions include identifying which region improved the most during a given week, determining who completed the most JHAs or discovering which hazards appeared most frequently during a month.
“ The AI functionality also summarizes individual and workgroup JHAs, highlights patterns that may indicate emerging risks and supports supervisors preparing targeted coaching discussions,” McDonald continued.“ Enhanced trend visualizations, improved filtering, streamlined dashboards and drill-down capabilities help identify potential concerns earlier and reinforce quality safety habits over time.”
For McDonald, the value of AI lies not in replacing safety conversations but in strengthening them. By analyzing historical data, identifying patterns and making information easier to access, AI enables supervisors and crews to have more informed discussions about risk. The result is a stronger foundation for hazard awareness, coaching effectiveness and continuous improvement in workplace safety.
Going Forward The EUFMC sessions demonstrated that AI’ s role in utility fleet management extends well beyond experimentation. Automation and digital controls are transforming administrative processes, improving financial oversight and returning thousands of labor hours.
AI is now becoming a trusted knowledge resource and decision-support partner. AI-enabled tools are also strengthening safety conversations, enhancing hazard recognition and providing meaningful insights from workforce data.
A common theme throughout is clear: when combined with strong processes and engaged leadership, AI can help utility fleets operate more efficiently, make better decisions and create safer work environments.