Our Safety Culture

AT UNITED, SAFETY IS BUILT INTO OUR DNA

Delivering reliable electric power to more than 57,000 member-owners across a 14-county service area is no small task. However, providing that service safely through some of the harshest weather extremes imaginable requires employees to approach their daily responsibilities with an intense safety focus and regular training. As of 2017, United employees had amassed 2 million man-hours without a lost time accident. By April 2019, that milestone had increased to more than 2.5 million and counting--the equivalent of eight years without a lost-time accident. Since the cooperative was formed through a consolidation in 2000, United has continued to enhance a culture that puts safety at the forefront of the co-op's daily operations. By always approaching their duties with safety as a priority, the employees of United Cooperative Services demonstrate the advantages of being a member-owner of the electric cooperative. Our members experience the results of our employees' efforts every day though the safe, reliable service we provide.

How safe are you? Take the Safety Quiz

United is Fully Accredited by the RESAP Program

United Cooperative Services receives safety accreditation every three years following an intensive review by the Rural Electric Safety Accreditation Program (RESAP), sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

The RESAP accreditation process requires an in-depth analysis of a cooperative’s safety and loss control program by an independent committee that measures its overall effectiveness. The purpose of the RESAP is to inform and promote safety and loss control, preserve lives, prevent injury and help reduce the escalating costs associated with preventable injuries and/or death. RESAP standards exceed the minimum compliance standards of OSHA, DHEC and the Department of Transportation.

The accreditation process, which is based on a three-year review period, has three parts. Each cooperative must compile and submit an application, representing a collaborative record of its safety policies and procedures. Then, a statewide organization conducts an on-site field observation to evaluate the physical aspects of the cooperative. Finally the RESAP Committee reviews and grades the applications.