Each year during this month and throughout the year, you may recall having conversations with Pee Dee Electric employees and seeing brochures, social media posts, infographics and articles in the newsletter, geared toward safety. Your child may have even come home from school talking about our electrical safety demonstration. Here at Pee Dee Electric, we believe in creating a culture of safety for our members and the communities we serve.
We work to create this culture by training employees on taking proactive approaches to safety. Each week we hold safety meetings for crews to discuss safety concerns, hazard recognition, vehicle and equipment inspections, and other related topics. Crews hold tailgate meetings before every job. Our Safety Coordinator holds quarterly Safety Committee meetings made up of a diverse group of employees from various departments who work in the office and out in the field. This committee focuses on seeing that safety concerns are identified and promptly acted upon to avoid potential harm or injury. They are not only looking to improve the safety of all employees, but the safety of the public as well. One of these safety concerns being addressed is identifying frequently hit poles. If an electrical utility pole has been damaged multiple times from vehicle accidents, the committee will assess the situation and determine if there is a cause to relocate the pole.
The cooperative participates in the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP), a national safety program whose main goal is improving safety performance. The program's core components assist in understanding performance measures to set cooperative benchmarks and identify quantifiable safety goals for Pee Dee Electric’s Safety Improvement Plan. This is made possible by the 6th cooperative principle, Cooperation among Cooperatives, collaborating ideas and best practices with safety professionals and representatives from the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives' Job Training & Safety Team (JT&S), the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange, as well as other distribution cooperatives across the nation.
These preventive efforts are part of our Commitment to Zero Contacts Initiative to eliminate injuries due to electrical contact. The world of electricity is constantly evolving. When you see our safety tips on social media or in the newsletter, please share them with others and communicate them with your friends and family because chances are someone somewhere might not be aware. If you are interested in an Electrical Safety Demonstration for a school or group setting, give us a call. We also offer Electrical Safety Training for first responders on topics such as downed lines, electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, and more.
We will always prioritize the safety of our employees and community. As a member and owner of the cooperative, you can be assured the safety of our employees and the public is important to us.
