DeRidder - BECi recently solidified its place as a leader in safety among Louisiana's electric cooperatives.
The locally-owned co-op was named winner of the Statewide Safety Trophy for the second consecutive year at the annual meeting of the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives held in Baton Rouge July 26-28.
BECi was recognized for working nearly 1 million man-hours without a lost-time accident since December of 2005, a figure that includes emergency restoration work after hurricanes and storms. In the past 11 years, BECi has received the trophy eight times.
General Manager Kevin Turner accepted the Statewide Safety Trophy on behalf of all co-op employees, management and the board of directors.
"There's no doubt that safety is a true team effort, and the credit goes to all of our employees who make safety a priority in performing their day-to-day tasks," Turner said. "Our success begins with our member-elected leadership at the board level and runs throughout our organization. Everyone plays a role."
Turner said the co-op places a premium on safety not only to protect the health and well-being of employees, members and the public at-large, but also because it makes good economic sense.
"When you can create an effective culture of safety, everybody wins," he said. "Not only do all of our employees get to go home to their families at the end of the work day, but it also keeps our costs down when it comes to insurances rates."
The Statewide Safety Trophy is determined by using a comprehensive formula that accounts for safe operation on the job including field work, warehouse work, transportation and all other aspects necessary to deliver reliable, affordable power to BECi members.
The award affirms BECi's standing as a national leader in safety. In 2004, BECi achieved an unprecedented record for safety by logging 2 million employee-hours without a lost-time accident, something accomplished by no other co-op in the nation.
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