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Safety Culture
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| Ownership, Achievement and Innovation Keys to Success |
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| At Missoula Electric Cooperative (MEC), safety is everybody’s business. After all, time lost due to accidents can adversely affect ourselves and our families, create extra work for other employees, and cost our members money. Most importantly, mistakes around energized lines or heavy equipment can be matters of life and death. |
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| As part of our ongoing commitment to safety, MEC successfully achieved certification in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) sponsored Rural Electric Safety Accreditation Program (RESAP) in 2008. The RESAP program was created in 1967 with the goal of improving the safety performance of electric cooperatives nationwide. Since that time, the accreditation approach has centered on a safety assessment conducted by an outside party of peers every three years, and has served as a benchmark of safety performance for all involved. |
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For the approximately 540 electric co-ops participating in RESAP, a high numerical safety score from the on-site assessment became a source of pride. But over time, those scores grew less reflective of a co-op’s safety record and had the potential to send the wrong signal. Various indicators also showed few differences in accident and injury rates between RESAP-accredited co-ops and those that weren’t.
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| These concerns led NRECA leadership to support a comprehensive RESAP review as a way to strengthen electric cooperative safety. After several years of work and a pilot project involving 11 co-ops, the NRECA board accepted a RESAP overhaul proposal last year. As of January 1, 2011 RESAP now stands for the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program, and features some significant changes aimed at preventing accidents before they occur. As of December 31, 2011, over 400 cooperatives including MEC have signed up for the new program. |
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| While the on-site inspection component of the RESAP program remains, the cornerstone of this enhanced program focuses on organizational safety culture and accident prevention. Strong safety culture begins with committed leadership and engaged employees taking ownership for safety results. We also know that top safety performance begins with effective planning, communication, and training on work practices throughout the organization. Ultimately, the program’s intent is to create an environment where co-op employees at all levels embrace and foster safety attitudes aimed at achieving a goal of zero lost days due to accidents and injuries. |
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| Another significant improvement is a renewed focus on leadership and employee engagement and participation in ongoing safety programs. MEC has long had an active and effective safety committee, and each year this group will help identify safety improvement initiatives as part of the larger Safety Improvement Plan. In addition, this group will recommend enhancements to our monthly safety meeting agendas based upon employee feedback and safety performance indicators. |
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| The employees of MEC are our greatest asset, and the leadership of your cooperative is committed to achieving sustainable top- tier safety performance. We understand that continuous safety improvement is rooted in safety as a “core value” – a fundamental unwavering commitment to achieving excellence in safety performance. NRECA’s new and improved RESAP program is a great tool to help us achieve our goals. |
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Regards,
Mark Hayden
General Manager