2023 was Cleco's safest year on record.
The best year in our 89-year history.
With only one recordable injury, zero days away restricted or transferred (DART) injuries and zero serious injury incident rates (SIIR), our performance was world class. Cleco employees also accumulated over 2.6 million safe work hours, and the company ranked number one in safety out of 16 utilities in the Southeastern Electric Exchange.
Our Strategy
Focus
more on leading indicators by providing all employees targeted training, simplify
leading indicator reporting tools and learning resources, consult experts for
guidance in best practices, and bolster the company's long-standing commitment
to safety by incorporating specific and measurable safety goals into all
employee performance plans.
Cleco executed this strategy by implementing several initiatives in 2023:
Cleco 2023 Safety Initiatives
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Energy Wheel Training
Cleco ensured all employees received Energy Wheel training to help them identify high energy hazards during Job Safety Briefings, during any job when hazards change and when away from work. Accurate and effective hazard
identification is critical to reducing high risk exposures that can lead to injuries.
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New Safety Observation Form
Cleco replaced an extremely lengthy electronic Safety Observation form with a simplified form that takes less than 10 minutes to complete. With a new user-friendly form, more employees began using it to report safe and unsafe behaviors. Employees submitted 15,442 Safety Observations in 2023, an increase of 75% over 2022.
Below is a copy of Cleco's new form.
Click here to view Cleco's Safety Observation Report for November 2023.
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New Electronic Job Safety Briefings
Cleco implemented electronic Job Safety Briefings (JSBs) that are accessible on mobile devices.
The new electronic JSBs were well received by employees in the Transmission, Distribution and Generation
Departments because the new format is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection,
making it extremely convenient. In addition, Cleco incorporated the Energy Wheel into the electronic
JSBs to help employees identify the hazards for each work step of the job and the controls
necessary for each hazard to help mitigate employee exposure and risk.
Click here to view a sample Job Safety Briefing. -
New Hazard Identification Program
Cleco launched a new Hazard Identification Program, replacing an old, ineffective reporting process
to better capture near misses, good catches and safety shares. Under the new program,
employees have access to a new electronic Hazard Identification Reporting form housed
in the same location as the electronic Safety Observations and JSBs. Employees embraced
the new Hazard Identification form and use it regularly to share steps taken to address
the hazard found and request follow-up if desired. Cleco plans to develop
a new corporate metric using data from this program in 2025.Click here to view Cleco's Hazard ID Reporting Form. .
Click here to view a Hazard ID Report. -
New Occupational Medicine Provider
Cleco contracted with CORE, an occupational medicine company to assist with injury case management.
CORE provides triage assistance for injured employees and recommends over-the-counter treatments
for minor injuries. Employees welcomed this new service because it allowed them to seek guidance
from a medical professional without the risk of over-treatment which is often associated with
urgent care facilities and physicians. -
Safety Goals Incorporated into Performance Plans
For the first time, Cleco required all employees to include a safety goal in their performance plans.
Employees do this annually now. Some employees commit to attend all safety meetings
during the year, complete a certain number of Safety Observations, and
review Job-Safety Briefings with their direct reports on a regular basis.
Below is an example of several safety goals that an employee added to her / her performance plan.
