BECi recognized for outstanding safety program

BECi recently received recognition for having the most outstanding safety program among the state’s electric cooperatives. Co-op employees have worked over 1,321,000 man-hours without a loss-time accident. The Statewide Safety Trophy was presented by the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives (ALEC) at the organization’s annual meeting held in Baton Rouge in July. It was the seventh time in 10 years BECi has received the coveted award.

“Safety is a team effort”, said BECi General Manager Kevin Turner. “I may be the one accepting the award, but the real credit goes to our employees who make safety the cornerstone of everything they do. It takes a commitment from the top-down starting with the cooperatives board of directors to the employees looking out for one another daily. I’m incredibly proud of our staff especially after the challenging year we had with a world-wide pandemic and severe hurricane season. Having a culture of safety begins with our board and co-op management, but it’s our employees who make all of this possible.”

Turner said the locally owned cooperative places a premium on safety not only as an effort to protect the health and well-being of employees, members and the public, but also because it simply makes good economic sense.

“The safety of our employees is first priority,” he said. “We want each of our employees to be able to drive out of the parking lot and return home to their families but working safely has additional benefits for our members because it keeps cost down when it comes to insurance rates and equipment maintenance.”

Recognition for exceptional safety performance is determined by using a comprehensive formula that accounts for safe operation on the job including fieldwork, warehouse work, transportation and all other aspects necessary to deliver reliable, affordable power to BECi members.

“These procedures we teach affect each cooperative’s bottom line and ultimately each member’s rates,” said ALEC Director of Loss Control Aarron Graham. “But most importantly it guarantees our employees will go home to their families at the end of each day. Safety is paramount for all electric cooperative employees.”

BECi is the distribution cooperative that serves the electric needs of more than 43,000 residential, commercial and industrial members in a 7-parish area of southwest and central Louisiana.

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