Cobb Electric Membership Corporation

One Step Ahead: Ensuring Employee Safety Within the Utility Industry

Overview

Location: Marietta Georgia
Organization: Cobb Electric Membership Corporation

How do you quickly spread awareness to ensure employee safety and maintain business continuity during a crisis? While sending mass emails can be a useful method for internal communication, it may not always be reliable or effective in the event of a time-sensitive emergency.

Challenge

After realizing an email system was not solely adequate for crisis communication, Cobb Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) — a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative and one of the largest EMCs in the nation with 200,000 residential & commercial consumers — sought a more emergency-specific mass notification solution.

“People can become oblivious to emails, especially when you get them every day,” explained Brandon Rogers, Loss Control Specialist for Cobb EMC. “We needed a communication tool that could be used primarily for emergency communications.”

Motivated by enhancing employee safety, Rogers and his team did some extensive Mass Notification System (MNS) research until they found a suitable solution for their organization.

Solution

Cobb EMC ultimately opted to implement Alertus Desktop Notification™, which allows authorized dispatchers to override computer displays with full-screen, quarter-screen, or scrolling ticker emergency notifications.

“With Alertus Desktop Notification, employees know they’re not going to get a desktop message about something minor like a company cookout. This separate mass notification tool has helped us better differentiate between our routine internal communications and critical employee safety communications,” Rogers noted.

Alertus Desktop Notification is part of Alertus’ wide range of MNS tools designed to disseminate critical information when it matters the most.

Critical Emergencies

Fortunately, Cobb EMC has not had to activate the Alertus System for any major emergencies, but they feel confident they are prepared for a wide range of emergency situations if the moment comes.

Rogers said, “We now have a system in place to keep employees safe and informed about armed intruder or suspicious person incidents, oil spills, bomb threats, hazardous material spills, fires, and medical emergencies.”

Cobb EMC proactively prepares for the unpredictable with Alertus’ Desktop Activator, a software-based panic button integrated with the Alertus Desktop Notification, and Alertus’ preset desktop emergency templates that can be customized and edited on the fly to fit a specific emergency.

“With the Alertus System, our emergency response team will get notified immediately about any emergency situation,” Rogers continued.

Severe Weather Monitoring

In addition to emergency preparedness, Cobb EMC has leveraged the Alertus System for location-specific weather monitoring.

“We’ve had a lot of tornado warnings in our area recently, so it’s been helpful to have a tool to monitor weather events beyond just rain. I worked closely with Alertus’ implementation team to customize our severe weather alerts so that they’re relevant to our proximity and not an area miles away from us.”

Alertus provides real-time weather updates and up-to-the-minute, site-specific warnings from AccuWeather Skyguard®, Severe Weather Warnings, and the National Weather Service.

Reaching Everyone, Everywhere — Field Crew Alerts

Like many other utility organizations, Cobb EMC has field crews who regularly work offsite. The Cobb EMC team implemented Alertus’ mobile alerting to maintain successful communication with their field workers.

“Our field crew may not have their phone, but most of them have an iPad that they use for job briefings to go over the hazards of the day. The Alertus Mobile App can be downloaded on an iPad, so if there’s ever a critical emergency, we know they won’t be left out in the dark,” said Rogers.

The Alertus Mobile App Suite enhances mobile notification between authorized dispatchers and end users through activator and recipient mobile app offerings.

Communication System Integration

For more redundant, multilayered, and efficient alerting across their various campuses, Cobb EMC also integrated the Alertus System with their existing communication systems and devices.

“Most utility companies are required by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to have an emergency action plan, and the goal of our plan is to try to notify everyone of an emergency in as many ways as possible,” shared Rogers. “Even if we send a mass email, not everyone will be at their computer to see that email. That’s why we’ve integrated the Alertus Desktop Notification tool and the Alertus Mobile App Suite with our existing PA system. It’s a great way to spread awareness through different communication channels and account for people who may not be in front of their desktop or phone.”

Conclusion

As Cobb EMC prepares to return to a more normal working routine, they plan to make use of Alertus’ hardware-based alerting solutions such as USB panic buttons. For quick and discreet emergency activation, the buttons can be mounted underneath a desk or table.

“We hope to never have to use the Alertus System for a critical issue, but anything can happen and we are ready with a solution to protect everyone,” Rogers explained.

Rogers, along with the Cobb EMC IT department, conduct regular Alertus System tests to ensure optimal emergency alerting.