BEMIDJI -- Trevor Gwiazdon, a staking engineer at Beltrami Electric Cooperative, was recently presented the LIFEGuard on Duty Award by the Minnesota Rural Electric Association.
Gwiazdon was given the award after illustrating a commitment to safety when he prevented a severe accident from while checking in on service at a local jobsite, a release said.
"While checking on the construction of a new service, Gwiazdon recognized a dangerous situation with an energized primary underground cable," the release said. "A construction crew had excavated around the cable, poured footings, elevated the energized cable, and ran it across the cinder block into the building, mistakenly thinking it was a lower voltage cable.
"For context, the wall outlets in most residential homes receive 120/240V service while the primary underground cable carries 7,200V. Gwiazdon immediately stopped work, explained to the construction crew the dangers of handling a cable at that voltage and contacted the cooperative who safely took the line out of service."
The Minnesota Rural Electric Association recognizes safety as a core value and encourages co-op employees to make a commitment on and off the job with the LIFEGuard on Duty Award, the release added.
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“Trevor’s actions and willingness to speak up when he recognized a life-threatening situation saved lives,” BEC president and CEO Jared Echternach said in the release. “His actions are a testament to our culture of safety, and we are a better cooperative for it.”
