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April 11, 2008 | Danny Hayes recognized as Safety Person of the Year at Thomas Hill Energy CenterContact : Nancy Southworth Photograph of award recipient available electronically on request. Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. recently recognized Danny Hayes, electrical maintenance supervisor at Thomas Hill Energy Center, as the 2007 Safety Person of the Year at the power plant located north of Moberly. The annual Safety Person of the Year award is given to employees at AECI’s two coal-based plants that demonstrate a commitment to and knowledge of safe work practices. Each plant’s safety committee selects the Safety Person of the Year from a list of 12 Safety Persons of the Month, nominated by plant employees. Safety is Associated Electric Cooperative’s No. 1 strategic objective, and AECI recognized Hayes for his longtime commitment to practicing and teaching safety at the power plant. “I have heard several people describe him as one of the safest persons out here. The way he thinks and the decisions he makes, I can tell he has safety in mind,” said Gabe Fleck, electrical maintenance superintendent. During his 29 years at the plant, Hayes has been a control room operator and spent the last 16 years in the electrical shop. He was promoted to electrical maintenance supervisor. Chris Johnson, a former assistant control room operator who recently transferred into the electrical shop as an electrician first period, said Hayes is “a great role model who puts safety first because he wants to see everyone go home to their families.” Another nominator praised Hayes for his vigilance in teaching safe practices to new employees and outage contractors: “I saw Danny personally make sure that the operators racking breakers in and out understood what they were doing and the importance of following the correct procedure.” Racking is a procedure to disable electrical equipment, typically circuit breakers that run motors, so it is safe to work on. Hayes’ attention to safety is especially important during construction of additional environmental controls at Thomas Hill Energy Center to improve air quality. At peak construction in 2007, about 900 contractors have been working at the plant. On any one shift, there might have been 20 new employees and contractors working on electrical equipment they had not used before. That made the racking procedure especially critical, nominators said. “Electricity is very unforgiving,” said Hayes. “You don’t get but one chance to be safe. … You could prevent an electrocution or a fire or an explosion with just a little common sense. Nobody here minds if you ask a question.” Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve more than 850,000 customers. AECI’s mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V ### Released: 11 April 2008 |
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