Safety is a serious topic, especially when it comes to electricity. For Medina Electric Cooperative, it’s the No. 1 priority—and that’s not just talk. Over the years, our co-op has created a culture in which the safety of our employees and the community is above all else.
Our mission is to provide safe, affordable and reliable electricity to our member-owners. And that means ensuring our workers return home safely to their loved ones at the end of each day. That requires ongoing focus, dedication and vigilance.
Setting the Standard
Working with electricity brings risks, especially for lineworkers who work in challenging conditions. That’s why Medina EC is focused on protecting our employees and the community.
We’ve established protocols based on leading national safety standards for the utility industry, and our lineworkers wear specialized protective equipment whenever they’re working near or with energized power lines.
We encourage our crews to speak up and hold each other accountable. By fostering a culture of openness and transparency, we promote problem-solving rather than blame.
Our safety team meets regularly to discuss up-coming projects and develop the best procedures to tackle them safely. They monitor and track near-miss incidents to understand what happened, share the lessons learned and prevent future occurrences.
We analyze data to identify patterns, and we use safety metrics to improve in areas where we have fallen short. We also brief contractors on our safety protocols and set clear expectations before they begin work.
Keeping You Safe
Because we live and work in the community we serve, we care about our neighbors. Medina EC conducts electrical safety demonstrations in schools and at community events, helping people of all ages understand how to stay safe around electricity.
May is National Electrical Safety Month—a good time to remember that electrical safety starts at home. According to Electrical Safety Foundation International, thousands of people in the U.S. are critically injured each year because of electrical fires, accidents and electrocutions at home.
The good news is that many of these accidents are preventable, and you can help keep yourself and your community safe around electricity.
Don’t attempt electrical do-it-yourself projects beyond basic tasks, and don’t overload outlets. Always report downed power lines immediately, and treat every downed line as if it’s energized. Let us know if you spot unlocked substations or padmount transformers that look damaged or tampered with.
If you would like Medina EC to provide a safety demonstration at your school or community event, please get in touch.
When it comes to safety, taking a moment to pause and think before you act can make all the difference. Let’s work together to plug into safety.
Until next time,
Trey Grebe
