Co-ops recognized for safety leadership

More than 100 electric cooperative linemen, supervisors and warehouse personnel from electric co-ops across Illinois attended the annual Safety Supervisory Technical (SST) Conference held in Decatur, Jan. 30-31. The conference provides line personnel with the newest safety information to help them continually evaluate and improve safety performance. During the meeting, individual and cooperative safety leadership awards were presented.

Gary Nelson, warehouseman for Adams Electric Cooperative, earned the 2019 Individual Safety Leadership award. He was nominated by cooperative peers for demonstrating outstanding leadership in safety, promoting practices that support a culture of safety and going beyond normal safety expectations.

Cooperatives that received this year’s safety leadership awards were Clinton County Electric Cooperative, Breese; Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Mt. Vernon; and Prairie Power, Inc., Springfield. Cooperative safety leadership award nominations were submitted by cooperatives which were required to document a series of required and optional criteria to prove their cooperative-wide demonstration of safety awareness, leadership, culture and having exhibited safety above and beyond expectations.

The purpose of the AIEC Cooperative Safety Leadership Award is to recognize safety awareness and reward cooperatives that demonstrate safety leadership. All nominations were reviewed by an independent AIEC panel which made award recommendations.