Prioritizing safety is paramount for your electric cooperative. To advance safety education and safe work practices, lineworkers, supervisors and warehouse personnel from electric cooperatives across Illinois gathered in Springfield for the annual Safety and Energy Conference held Jan. 29-30, hosted by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives.
The conference emphasized the importance of safety in the energy industry, providing participants with training and resources to ensure their well-being on the job. Sessions included discussions on active leadership, staying focused and safe practices in the workplace.
During the conference, safety awards were presented to honor both individual and cooperative-wide commitments to fostering a safe work environment. Mike Faust, foreman at Clinton County Electric Cooperative (CCEC); Brandon Sebena, director of utility operations at JCE Co-op; and Ryan Ruppel, superintendent of operations at Prairie Power, Inc. (PPI), all received the 2024 Safety Leadership Award.
This annual award acknowledges individuals who excel in promoting a culture of safety and demonstrate leadership beyond typical safety performance standards. Recipients are nominated by their peers, with nominations detailing the nominee’s impact on safety practices. These individuals play an instrumental role in their co-op’s safety culture and often encourage fellow employees to actively participate in safety training.
Electric cooperatives were also recognized for their outstanding safety performance over the past year, receiving 2024 awards for Best Loss Time Rate and Best Incident Rate. These awards are based on OSHA documentation and underscore a cooperative’s dedication to maintaining a safe work environment, exceeding industry safety expectations, and cultivating a proactive safety culture.
The Best Loss Time Rate Award is given to the cooperatives with the lowest amount of lost work time due to workplace injuries, relative to the number of hours worked. It reflects a cooperative’s effectiveness in preventing serious incidents that could keep employees off the job.
The Best Incident Rate Award recognizes the cooperatives with the lowest overall number of recordable workplace incidents, including minor injuries. It highlights a commitment to maintaining a consistently safe work environment for all employees.
Adams Electric, Clay Electric, CCEC, Coles-Moultrie Electric, Eastern Illini Electric, Illinois Electric, JCE Co-op, M.J.M. Electric, McDonough Power, Monroe County Electric, PPI, Rural Electric Convenience, Shelby Electric, Spoon River Electric, Tri-County Electric and Wayne-White Counties Electric received either one or both awards.
