Month: January 2017

SAIA 2017 Summer Meeting

SAIA 2017 Summer Meeting

Make plans to join us for this year’s SAIA meeting in June.  The summer meeting is hosted by Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives and will be held at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa in Lexington, Kentucky.  The meeting will be held from Tuesday June 13 – Thursday June 15.

We also invite you to join us on Monday, June 12, for a golf outing at the Griffin Gate Golf Club or sign-up for our “Thoroughbred Experience” outing.  Please be sure to indicate on the registration form your selection(s) and if you plan to attend the welcoming reception on Monday evening, June 12, beginning at 5pm.  You will not want to miss the Master Distiller presentation with tastings, as well as live Bluegrass band entertainment during the reception.

Meeting Agenda

Forms are also available on the SAIA website:   http://www.southernareainstructorsassociation.org/

The Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa rate of $154.00 per night will only be held until May 26, 2017 (see registration packet for details).  Registration fees for this conference will be a very reasonable $375 per person.

On behalf of the SAIA Board and KAEC, we hope to see you in June!

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Jackson Purchase Energy Corporation Saddened By Death Of Line Technician

Jackson Purchase Energy Corporation Saddened By Death Of Line Technician

Officials with Jackson Purchase Energy Corporation are grieved to acknowledge the death of JPEC Line Technician Josh Franklin.

Franklin passed away at 12:30 p.m. January 16 at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, according to family members, who authorized JPEC to release the information.

“There are simply no words to adequately convey the profound sadness of our cooperative family,” says Dennis Cannon, President and CEO.

“Our hearts ache for Josh and his family. We pray that they experience the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, as they endure this most difficult of times.

“Our focus remains on Josh’s wife Christa, their two children and all of Josh’s family and friends as we begin the long process of saying goodbye to him,” Cannon says.

After coming into contact with a live electric line during a routine maintenance call, Franklin was treated at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah before being transported via LifeFlight to Vanderbilt University Hospital where he was treated for various injuries until his death.

Franklin’s coworkers, in close coordination with his family, established two fundraising methods to aid his family. Those will continue to be used to supplement any monies that the family may receive from Jackson Purchase Energy’s workers compensation insurance carrier.

Those interested in donating to those funds may do so using one of the following two methods:

The primary method is the Joshua Franklin Beneficiary Account established at Regions Bank: Joshua Franklin Beneficiary Account, Regions Bank, 4111 Clarks River Road, Paducah, KY  42003.

The secondary method is the Injured Lineman Josh Franklin page on the Go Fund Me internet site – http://www.gofundme.com/injured-lineman-josh-franklin.

KAEC Safety Instructor Prepares For The Future

KAEC Safety Instructor Prepares For The Future

Robert Thornton becomes a Certified Loss Control Professional

Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives Safety Instructor Robert Thornton has completed an intensive program in electric utility safety and loss control. The Loss Control Internship is a series of workshops offered by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in conjunction with the National Utility Training & Safety Education Association. The program is designed to instruct participants in many areas related to electric utility industry safety.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, nearly 4 million injuries occur annually in the workplace. One of the goals of a Certified Loss Control Professional is to help ensure a safe work environment for utility workers and the public in general. Avoiding workplace accidents avoids down time and can ultimately lead to lower utility rates.

Robert Thornton is one of only a few electric utility professionals in the country that will receive this certification this year. The program requires participants to complete a rigorous serious of seminars and tests, a 30 hour OSHA course, and a detailed final course project.

Loss Control participants go through four, 6-day sessions that are designed to challenge and educate participants in new, innovative safety techniques. Participants must also maintain their certificate by attending courses every year in order to stay on top of changes in the industry.

Thornton has been with KAEC for five years. He graduated with a degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Murray State University.  He and his wife, Katie, live in Elizabethtown.