Safety Above All Else

Posted: May 1, 2018 at 7:05 am

Safety is a serious issue, especially when it comes to electrical safety. At Peace River Electric Cooperative, it’s the number one priority. PRECO promotes a culture of safety by putting our employees’ wellbeing and that of the community above all else.

PRECO’s mission is to provide safe, affordable and reliable electricity to its member-owners. But equally important, we want our workers to return home safely to their loved ones each night. Accomplishing this requires constant focus, dedication and vigilance.

Following leading national safety standards

Working with electricity is a dangerous job if not done properly, especially for lineworkers. PRECO’s safety protocols are based on leading national safety practices for the utility industry. We require our lineworkers to wear specialized equipment when working around power lines. And, there are specific procedures our lineworkers must follow when dealing with electricity.

Our safety team has regular meetings to discuss safety initiatives. They also monitor and track accidents and near-misses to understand them, share lessons learned and improve on the future.

We encourage our crews to speak up and hold each other accountable for safety. By cultivating a culture of openness and transparency, we promote problem-solving regarding safety, rather than defaulting to a blame game.

Keeping the community safe

Because we live and work in the community we serve, we care about our neighbors. PRECO conducts electrical safety demonstrations in schools and the community. If you would like us to provide a safety demonstration at your school or community event, call us at 1-800-282-3824.

May is National Electrical Safety Month. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation, each year thousands of people in the United States are critically injured or electrocuted because of electrical fires and accidents in their own homes. Many of these accidents are preventable. There is much you can do to keep yourself and your community safe around electricity.

Don’t attempt electrical DIY projects or overload your outlets. Report downed power lines, unlocked substation gates or our electrical equipment that look amiss. Contact PRECO for additional electrical safety tips.

Please be mindful when it comes to electrical safety. Pause and take the extra time to plug into safety.

Randy Shaw
PRECO CEO