Board Spotlight: Evans Reviews Safety Compliance Procedures

A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of SEMO Electric Cooperative, Inc., (hereinafter referred to as “Cooperative”) was held on Monday, January 18, 2021, at the office of the Cooperative in Sikeston, Missouri. The following Directors were present: Rick Faulkner, Butch Dirnberger, Carl Eftink, Dennis Fowler, Myron Hawes, James Deneke, Carla Moore, Keith Haynes, Dicky Hanor, Tim Coppage, John Bledsoe, and Hamil Corse. Directors absent: none. Also present were Sean Vanslyke, CEO/General Manager; Megan Ray, General Counsel; Rick Temple, Labor Counsel; and staff members Angie Byford, Amanda Burnett, Becky Ivester, Loyd Rice, Chris Freed, Marty Vineyard, Dannett Cooper, Ron Montgomery and Brad Kern. The meeting was called to order at 1:03 p.m. by President Faulkner.

A prayer of invocation was offered by John Bledsoe. The chair asked for approval of the agenda. On motion made, seconded and passed, the agenda was approved. The Board considered its consent agenda consisting of: the minutes of the regular meeting of December 21, 2020; new membership applications; membership cancellations; initial review of Policy 303, Flowers and Memorials; and initial review of Policy 304, Accidental Damage to Poles and Other Properties of the Cooperative.

Montgomery presented the monthly safety report. He shared information on the monthly safety focus about drowsy driving. Drowsy driving is dangerous because it mirrors many symptoms of drunk driving: blurred vision, slowed reaction time, and poor decision making. While it is more common in drivers who travel long distances, drowsiness or sleepiness can happen to anyone. Even the most experienced drivers can be susceptible and miss the warning signs that it is no longer safe to be behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. If your vision begins to blur, you nod off, or begin to lose control of the vehicle, drivers should pull over immediately and take action. Following his report, Montgomery left the meeting. Burnett reviewed the financial summary for the month of December 2020 with revenue and expense analysis, budget comparisons, and a review of the arrears report. Compared to budget, year-to-date expenses are down 5.89%, revenue is down 2.35% and power costs are down 2.70%. Eftink reported there had been no M&A Electric Power Cooperative meeting since his last board meeting. Haynes reported no meeting had occurred since the last board meeting update for Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC), but he did provide an update on the new legislative session.

Under old business the Board: reviewed its schedule of meetings; Policy 301, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, was affirmed as presented; and Policy 302, Cooperative Funds, was affirmed as presented. At this time, Peggy Evans entered the meeting and presented information on her recent Management Internship Program (MIP) experience through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Evans, the Cooperative’s purchasing and safety supervisor, shared her safety compliance guide she developed for the cooperative as her final project for graduation from MIP. She said while the cooperative had adequate documentation, Evans felt it was important to strengthen the cooperative’s safety compliance procedures for succession planning and ensure the cooperative has a detailed plan for nearly 50 compliance items that must be reviewed either daily, monthly or annually. As an example, she said insulating rubber gloves and sleeves are critical personal protection equipment (PPE) and must be worn by SEMO Electric’s qualified employees within the minimum approach distance to exposed energized conductors. Evans said the gloves and sleeves must be electrically tested before being issued for use, employees must visually inspect and air test gloves for any possible defects before each day's use and they must be electrically tested at regular intervals of not more than six months for gloves and 12 months for sleeves. Evans said this was just one example of nearly 50 items that must be tracked and documented to protect Team SEMO and to mitigate SEMO Electric’s risk exposure. Following her presentation, she left the meeting. Under new business, Vanslyke discussed the Cooperative’s safety policy and recommended an amendment to the policy. On motion made, seconded, and passed, the Board resolved to amend Policy 204, Safety, as presented.

Rice presented a fiber services update and discussed television services for GoSEMO Fiber’s channel Local 95. Freed provided an update on fiber construction and Kern shared information on recent rerouting of fiber traffic for enhanced broadband reliability. Ivester gave a subscriber update. The board reviewed written staff reports. Department leaders were present to supplement their reports and to answer questions. Attorney Rick Temple was present to provide an update on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The remaining staff members were excused from the meeting. Therefore, the Board entered into Executive Session to discuss personnel matters. There being no further business to come before the Board, on motion made, seconded and passed, the meeting was adjourned at 6:26 p.m.

Photos from top: Team SEMO’s Dannett Cooper discusses rebates and key accounts and Team SEMO’s Brad Kern shares details about reliability enhancements to GoSEMO Fiber’s network during SEMO Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors meeting. Team SEMO’s Peggy Evans reviews with the board the cooperative’s safety compliance guide and attorney Rick Temple gives an update on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and its implications in the workplace.