As toddlers become more mobile and inquisitive some are fascinated by electrical cords and outlets which can sometimes result in serious injury and death. Even misuse of electric toys can cause injury.
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative wants to help parents and their children avoid all risk of electric shock by helping kids become better informed about the proper use of electricity so they are sponsoring a safety poster contest to encourage kids in the Northland to learn more about electrical safety.
The contest is open to grades K-6 and the deadline for submissions is Oct. 30.
The posters can depict anything the child chooses that is related to electrical safety.
As the Christmas season approaches and lights go up inside and out, an annual seasonal risk gets closer. But raising awareness of the dangers helps kids understand how to stay safe with electricity.
“The most important factor in a child’s ability to avoid hazards is that they learn to be aware of their surroundings,” Garrett Poorman, communications director at Platte-Clay Electric said. “We want parents and teachers to emphasize the importance of things like not flying kites around power lines, not climbing on transformers and staying inside the vehicle if there is a car accident involving electrical equipment.”
Empowering communities the company serves is a core part of Platte-Clay Electric’s mission.
“As a community-led and community-focused organization, everything we do is for the benefit of our consumer-members,” Poorman said. “Our employees give countless hours to service projects every year around the Northland.”
The co-op also provides opportunities for youth development through scholarship programs and leadership development conferences.
“We believe it’s important to invest in the next generation of leaders for our community,” Poorman said.
Local communities are not the only beneficiaries of Platte-Clay Electric’s help. The Co-op participates in mutual aid programs and sends lineworkers to assist with getting power restored to those impacted by natural disasters like hurricanes around the country.
“There have been numerous instances in the past when we have relied on help from fellow cooperatives to restore catastrophic damage after ice storms and tornadoes,” Poorman said. “Our employees are always eager to do what they can to lend a hand to those in need after disaster strikes.”
Platte-Clay Electric has, like every business around the world, had to make adjustments to its operations to protect their employees and customers during COVID-19.
“When the pandemic first began ramping up, we took the steps of both initiating remote work and closing our offices to the public for a period of time to do our part to help stop the spread,” Poorman said. “Since returning to the office we’ve installed plexiglass barriers in our lobbies, created enhanced sanitation procedures, provided employees with masks and deployed hand-sanitizer stations throughout our facilities.”
The co-op not only is concerned about the safety impacts the virus presents, it also is concerned about the financial challenges COVID has caused to their customers.
“When COVID-19 first hit the Northland we made the decision to temporarily suspend service disconnects and late fees based on anticipated financial hardships for our consumer-members,” Poorman said. “We also returned $2.7 million of capital credits, the most ever returned by the co-op in a single year, to our members ahead of schedule to provide financial relief to those impacted by stay-at-home orders. Although we have returned to normal billing practices since then, we continue to work with members who have been impacted by COVID-19 on a case-by-case basis.”
The co-op believes that everything they do connects back to their purpose of empowering communities and energizing life with safe and reliable energy.
“The co-op exists because community members came together to make sure everyone in the Northland, regardless of how rural of an area they lived in, their socioeconomic status or any other factor, had access to electric service,” Poorman said. “We strive to give back to the community that built us in any way we can because we believe it’s the right thing to do.”