From the Top with CEO Patrick Grace

Recently, OEC underwent a site-wide safety inspection, and I'm happy to say we passed with flying colors.

The inspection — completed every three years — ensures we are practicing safety in all areas of the co-op, not just in the field. Our goal is to continue a culture of safety not just when it's inspection time, but every day.

Much like a financial audit (which is conducted on an annual basis) is healthy for a business, a safety audit helps us identify areas of improvement so we don't encounter any unnecessary accidents. As part of our safety culture and the expectation to work safely at all times, the main goal is always for everyone to go home safely at the end of every day.

Did you know the job of a lineman ranks among the 10 most dangerous jobs according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics? Safety is of the utmost importance around here all day, every day, and is directly related to the reliability of the electricity we provide.

When outages occur, we don't want our linemen under added pressure to get the lights back on in an unsafe manner. We don't want them taking any shortcuts in the name of a safety rating, score or record. We instead increase reliability by taking safety measures as part of our everyday job so our workers don't get in a hurry, which helps improve the system overall.

Our linemen are aware members are counting on them to get lights back on quickly, but they also know we require them to do it as safely as possible. We are proud to offer you reliable, safe service and will work to continue our tradition of excellence in safety.