One Million Strong

United employees hit a major milestone for excellence in safety culture this March after reaching 1 million hours without a lost-time accident.

The rare achievement is especially significant when considering the business United is in—delivering electricity to nearly 110,000 meters and powering the lives of more than 80,000 members across the co-op’s 14-county service territory.

Not to mention, providing reliable electricity and internet service often requires United employees to respond to outages and perform maintenance in extreme weather conditions. Working safely in those environments depends on daily preparation, training and a culture that emphasizes safety across the organization. 

United CEO Cameron Smallwood said milestones like this don’t happen by chance. 

“Safety is our foremost organizational objective every minute of every day,” Smallwood said. “A strong safety culture is built on the belief that everyone at the co-op has a role to play in safety, whether an employee works in the field or in one of United’s seven area offices.”

Field employees participate in monthly safety meetings that review policies and procedures, while annual hands-on training, such as pole-top rescue exercises, aerial bucket truck instruction and defensive driving courses, reinforce safe work practices and play an important role in preparing crews to respond quickly in emergency situations.

Consistent safety expectations are reinforced at the office level, too. All employees complete regular safety training that simulates workplace scenarios and helps staff recognize and respond to potential hazards across a range of job environments.

Kevin Keesee, vice president of human resources & safety at United said that consistency helps strengthen workplace safety.

“Safety is not just a program at United—it’s part of how work gets done every day,” Keesee said. “This accomplishment reflects employees communicating openly about potential risks and taking responsibility for doing each job safely.”

Pat Griffith is United’s safety &  loss control coordinator. He said that maintaining that culture depends on regular hands-on training and ongoing safety coordination across the organization.

“Reaching one million hours without a lost-time accident is a significant accomplishment,” Griffith said. “It’s not achieved by chance, but through consistent habits, strong leadership and accountability at every level. It shows the importance of consistent training and communication and our willingness to learn from near misses and past incidents. Most importantly, it reflects the commitment each team member brings to safety every day.”

United also partners with industry organizations like Texas Electric Cooperatives and Titan Utility Services to provide recurring in-house training and equipment testing, while additional systemwide safety reviews are conducted through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program.

United’s safety efforts extend beyond the workplace. Employees regularly participate in public demonstrations, including arcing demonstrations and touch-a-truck events, helping students and families better understand electrical hazards and safe practices around utility equipment—efforts that also reinforce the cooperative’s broader culture of safety.

As a leader of many of those demonstrations, Safety & Loss Control Coordinator Brody Weems said sharing electrical safety information with the communities United serves helps strengthen the safety mindset that supports milestones like reaching 1 million hours without a lost-time accident.

“When employees take time to talk with students and families about electrical safety, it reinforces the same habits and awareness that guide how we work each day,” Weems said. “That shared focus on safety, both inside the organization and out in the communities we serve, plays an important role in achievements like these.”

Recognition from industry partners continues to reinforce United’s safety efforts. During this year’s Texas Electric Cooperatives Safety & Loss Control Conference, several United employees were recognized for decades of safe service. Patti Wagner was honored for 40 years without a lost-time injury, Robert Bernhoft for 35 years and Gynger Gossett for 30 years. United also received recognition for operating for two years without a lost-time work injury.

“Every day an employee returns home safely to his or her family is worth celebrating,” Smallwood said. “Of all the many successes and achievements we have shared as an organization and as an employee group, every one of them pales in comparison to the safety of our employees.”