Dedication to safety keeps linemen safe

By Nicholas Sakelaris | May 29, 2024

L TO R: TEC's Loss Control Specialist Mike Finnell presents CoServ's Ben DeRemer, Austin Clayton, Cameron Stephenson, Nathaniel Pennell and Waylon Wilson with an award for operating without a lost-time work injury.
L TO R: TEC's Loss Control Specialist Mike Finnell presents CoServ's Ben DeRemer, Austin Clayton, Cameron Stephenson, Nathaniel Pennell and Waylon Wilson with an award for operating without a lost-time work injury.

At CoServ, safety is a core value reinforced through training and personal responsibility. The safety team’s mantra is “I do it for them,” which encourages Employees to put safety first so everyone goes home to their loved ones each day.

This commitment to safety paid off as CoServ marked 1 million manhours worked without a loss-time injury. The million manhours go back 14 months and include all 500-plus Employees, not just those in the field.

“It’s an exceptionally hard number to achieve with the unforgiving circumstances that we work in and high risk that we deal with each day,” said Ben DeRemer, CoServ’s Director of Safety. “It goes back to the safety and training, the communication and our leadership out in the field that’s recognizing and mitigating hazards.”

Ben’s next goal is to reach 2 million hours without a loss-time injury.

CoServ also received an award from Texas Electric Cooperative for not losing time due to injuries on the electric side in 2023.

Also, for the third year in a row, the overall injury rate decreased, another testament to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.

This milestone is even greater when you realize that electric linemen and gas technicians have some of the most dangerous jobs in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In addition to the normal risks that come with working on power lines or natural gas pipes, workers in Texas must contend with the unforgiving summer heat.