State Recognizes Blue Ridge Electric for Safety
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Corporate Communications, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager:1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Lenoir, North Carolina (June 26, 2000) - North Carolina’s Commissioner of Labor Harry E. Payne Jr. recently recognized Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation for its outstanding safety record during the Department of Labor’s 43rd Annual Western North Carolina Safety Awards Banquet held in Morganton.
In addition to receiving awards for each district office for their safety record in the workplace, Blue Ridge Electric received a special award recognizing all employees for achieving one million safe working hours without a lost time accident. Members of the cooperative’s safety committee accepted the awards on behalf of Blue Ridge Electric.
Employee teams lead the safety program at Blue Ridge Electric with oversight and coordination of safety programs and training by Ronnie Jewell, safety and training manager. Blue Ridge Electric employs nearly 200 people across its service territory.
Blue Ridge Electric is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving 60,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Alexander and Wilkes counties. Its subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, serves residents and businesses with propane and home heating fuels from offices in Lenoir, Morganton, Boone and West Jefferson. The company also provides gasoline to commercial customers.
The Department of Labor recognizes public agencies and private firms across the state each year that maintain excellent safety records. Qualifying companies must have had no fatalities during the calendar year for which the award is given. Recipient companies must also have maintained either a perfect safety record for that year or a lost work time case rate of at least 50 percent below the statewide average for that company’s industry.
