San Patricio Electric Cooperative was awarded the GE Safety Achievement Award for the third year running at Texas Electric Cooperative’s Loss Control Conference in March. SPEC is the only cooperative that has ever earned this award for three consecutive years.

This prestigious award takes into consideration driving record, vehicle safety, job training, safety support and the number of times the co-op has received safety accreditation.

While GE looks at a wide range of factors in determining who will receive their award each year, SPEC’s safety record was no doubt considered. In November, the co-op celebrated 10 years with no lost-time accidents.

These safety accomplishments are no small feat in the electric industry. Many of SPEC’s employees deal with high-voltage electricity, operate heavy machinery and make repairs in hazardous weather. They also travel thousands of miles, day and night, across SPEC’s nine-county service area.

We’re proud of our employees for the effort they make every day to work safely and we hope to see the number of no lost-time days continue to grow for years to come.

We want all of our employees to make it home safely each day and we’re committed to providing the tools, training and time our employees need to work safely. We hold weekly safety meeting with our linemen to discuss potential hazards, near misses and new ideas.  They also attend eight safety meetings a year, conducted by TEC. Office employees are required to attend at least four of these safety meetings each year.

We also ask that our members do their part to keep our employees safe. If you see a crew working near the side of the road, move over if conditions allow, or slow down. We kindly ask that you never attach anything to our power poles. Not only do these items get in the way when a linemen is trying to restore power, but nails and staples in the wood can damage his protective equipment.

If you use a backup generator, make sure a transfer switch has been properly installed by an electrician. This necessary step can prevent dangerous backfeed into SPEC’s power lines.

Let’s work together to keep everyone safe! We’d love to bring home the GE Safety Award for the fourth time next year!