Wiregrass Electric Cooperative (WEC) employees led a discussion about the cooperative’s award-winning approach to safety communications at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s annual safety summit in August.
The NRECA has asked WEC to present its safety campaigns several times in recent years, a nod to the campaigns’ effectiveness. Not only do safe practices ensure all employees return home safely every day, they also reduce costs and improve efficiency for the cooperative and its members.
“Our No. 1 priority is to serve our members well, and we do this by paying attention to our No. 1 goal — safety,” says Brad Kimbro, WEC’s chief operating officer. “Our message to our employees is to be 100% safe every hour of every day, and our campaigns get to the heart of why they should be safe.”
One of the latest safety campaigns features photos of linemen with their families, a nod to “why” employees practice the safety protocols they do daily. The photos were placed underneath headers with the phrase “Just Enough Isn’t Enough” and an important safety message.
“Allowing our employees to take the leadership role in fostering safety and understanding their ‘why’ helps our cooperative have one of the best safety programs in the country,” Kimbro says.
