Nebraska Cooperatives Form Safety Directors Association

The Ag Cooperative Safety Directors of Nebraska (ACSDN) has officially formed as an association, holding its first meeting and electing officers Nov. 8 in Grand Island, NE at the Midtown Holiday Inn.

As first reported in Grain Journal�s Sept./Oct. 2000 issue, the idea for the group was conceived by Cooperative Mutual Insurance Co. (CMIC), Omaha, NE (800-642-8572).

The company will supply funding and clerical support, including space in CMIC�s quarterly loss control newsletter, until the organization is self sufficient.

�Eventually it will be fully funded by members�it�s their organization. [CMIC] just had the idea,� says Rick Smithpeter, loss control director for CMIC, who notes that the members do not have to be CMIC clients.

For safety directors, the association�s appeal was instant, says newly elected President Harlan Schafer, vice president of production and operations for Aurora Cooperative, Aurora, NE (402-694-2106).

�The major emphasis is that we realized that safety is important to all of our customers,� he says.

The safety directors also saw it as a great opportunity to learn from their peers throughout the state.

�It�s the potential for networking and learning from each other�s mistakes,� says Schafer. �We know every safety director has his own specialty, and we can learn from that.�

Outstanding Training Outlet

Currently, ACSDN has nearly 25 members, each representing many employees. Not surprisingly, this makes training at their meetings appealing to government agencies.

�Since the [safety] directors represent hundreds of employees, government agencies are willing to come,� says Smithpeter. �We have 25 directors representing 5,000-plus employees.�

�We�re focused on getting training and information to members �things they seem to feel are the most urgent,� says Schafer. �We�ve developed a list of concerns and of what other coops are doing�what�s working and not working.�

On Jan. 10, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) trained ACSDN members on new 300 logs workplace injuries.

And at the April 11 meeting, the focus will be safety committees. �We�d like to know how to get them rolling and how to get the most out of them,� says Schafer.

Focused Membership

For now, the association is focused on agricultural cooperatives, though the potential to open membership to other industries exists down the road.

And Smithpeter hopes to eventually help found similar organizations in other states. �I think this will take off�there�s nothing out there for agribusiness specific to safety,� he says.

Schafer agrees: �Many coops compete on a day-to-day basis, but when it comes to safety, barriers come down.�

For information or to join ACDSN, contact Smithpeter at 800-642-8572.

Written by Joli A. Shaw, associate editor