May is National Electrical Safety Month

R. Gary Harrison and resilient. With over 2,700 miles of line and approximately 40,000 poles that are exposed to potential hazards such as severe weather, animals, and accidents of various types, this can be a daunting task.

As I write this article, I have just left the Annual Meeting of the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives (AREA). We were very fortunate to have Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall as one of our speakers. He had a great presentation, and during his remarks he made note that he was a Dixie member. He explained that he had been to our website and read our mission statement which states, Dixie Electric Cooperative is committed to safely providing its member-owners with economical and reliable electric power and related services.

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While listening to his presentation, I was reminded that our board actually updated our mission statement approximately 11 years ago to add the word safely. They recognize that safety is vital to all aspects of our operation and knew that by adding it to our mission statement it would reinforce our commitment to making safety our top priority. I want to thank AG Marshall for bringing that to my attention. I can’t think of any better timing of this reminder than right as we are entering the month of May which is National Electrical Safety Month.

We spend a lot of time and effort training our linemen to be safe. This training covers a wide range of topics that our linemen encounter in their everyday work environment. For many years, AREA has provided safety personnel to assist with our training efforts, and they continue to support us in this area today. However, this year your board of trustees approved the hiring of our own in-house safety director to further enhance our program. Having a fulltime safety director will not only make more training accessible to our employees, but it will also allow more opportunities for worksite and workplace inspections to help us look for areas of improvement.

While safety is an obvious concern within the cooperative, I want you to know that our commitment to safety extends beyond our own employees. Our team is constantly working to find ways to help keep our members and the general public aware of safety threats and hazards involving electricity. We perform extensive maintenance to help eliminate potential hazards by changing poles, inspecting lines, and cutting rights of way so our system can remain safe

Not only do we work to keep our electric system safe, but we also conduct safety presentations to students throughout our area to help them understand the importance of staying safe around electricity. One of the most important messages we try to share with everyone is to stay away from downed power lines. Even if a line looks broken and is on the ground, NEVER assume it is deenergized. Keep others away from the line and call 9-1-1 or the cooperative. This will allow us to quickly dispatch crews to make repairs.

Another thing we also encourage everyone to do is to look out for anything that looks dangerous or unusual around our lines or equipment. If you do happen to notice anything that doesn’t seem right, give us a call immediately. We would always prefer to err on the side of caution and investigate to ensure everything is functioning safely.

One final bit of safety advice is related to those do-it-yourself projects. If you are tackling some items on your to do list as we head into the summer, always be aware of your surroundings. Look up when using ladders to ensure you do not encounter power lines. When using electric tools around the home and yard, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s safety guidelines. Most importantly, do not tackle any electrical wiring projects unless you are fully qualified. Take the time to hire a trained electrician to ensure the safety and accuracy of the project.

Together we can keep our members and community safe, and hopefully avoid serious accidents or injuries in the future. At Dixie, we are always looking out for you.

Gary Harrison is President/CEO of Dixie Electric Cooperative, a member-owned electric utility serving more than 26,000 businesses and homes in portions of eight Alabama counties.