When SLEMCO serviceman Jonathan Clements watched in alarm as the number of lineworker deaths and injuries across the country ticked higher in early 2025, the Army veteran felt compelled to do his part to put a stop to it.

With the help of other employees and supervisors at the Lafayette, Louisiana-based electric cooperative, Clements launched a campaign to make the discussion around safety take on a more personal tone and be part of the conversation every day among all co-op employees, not just at safety meetings.

“We need to start doing this on a daily basis and reminding each other that the business that we’re in is already hard enough,” said Clements, whose combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have shaped his commitment to workplace safety.

As part of the effort, Clements made silicon bracelets with the words “Be Your Brother’s Keeper” stamped on the outside. He distributed the bracelets to each of SLEMCO’s roughly 290 employees and all its board members.

The bracelets serve as a reminder for co-op employees to watch out for each other and speak up if they have a concern on the job or with someone’s mental health, so everyone can go home safely at night.

Clements also put together a video with the help of several co-workers talking about the importance of safety and taking care of each other every day, not just during storms and other emergencies.

“It doesn’t have to be a big old, long drawn-out speech,” Clements said in the video. “[It could be], ‘Y’all look out after each other today, and if you service guys need something, you call.’”

That focus on safety isn’t just about lineworkers, he emphasized.

“It’s from the young guy to the top man,” Clements said. “It’s also not just us in the field. The personnel in the office are also just as much our keeper as we are theirs.”

Clements is taking his message beyond SLEMCO. In December, he spoke to the graduating class of South Louisiana Community College’s lineman academy about weaving safety into the daily workplace culture.

Later this month, he’ll present on the Be Your Brother’s Keeper program at the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives’ member services conference.

“I want to go further on this,” he said. “My hopes are that I speak to other co-ops and get to bring that message to them.”

The program is a major boost to SLEMCO’s effort to get more employee buy-in and participation at meetings and to talk about safety on a more personal level, Director of Operations David Moore said.

“This has been an excellent opportunity to really get that employee engagement,” Moore said. “We can say those exact same things [on safety] to the group, but it doesn’t mean as much as coming from one of their guys.”

Clements’ passion for safety “is what you dream of for every employee,” said Nathan Melancon, SLEMCO’s safety and training supervisor.

“He really has become an inspiration for our employees, especially our young employees,” Melancon added. “I hope people see his passion and follow suit in their own lives.”

Inspiring others is at the core of Clements’ mission.