GLEN “COOKIE” COOK IS A PASSIONATE POWERLINE SAFETY ADVOCATE. HE IS CURRENTLY A PRINCIPAL COMMUNITY SAFETY SPECIALIST FOR ENERGY QUEENSLAND WITH CLOSE TO 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITHIN THE CONSTRUCTION AND UTILITIES INDUSTRIES.
In 2020, Glen received the Australian Health and Safety Professional of the Year award. In 2021, he was honored with the Queensland Community Achievement – Synaco Safety Award. According to Aaron Smith, Health Safety and Community Manager with Energy Queensland, “Cookie’s passionate and dedicated contributions to preventing damage and reducing accidental powerline contact incidents is widespread.”
Glen is a member of the Electrical Safety Education Committee, advising the Queensland Electrical Safety Board and the Electrical Safety Office. He also assists Before You Dig Australia and DBYD Certified Locators to raise awareness at community events by providing keynotes/safety talks across Australia.
“Cookie has shared his knowledge and passion with many Australian and international power companies. He has spoken at multiple State and National Industry Conferences and has shared his expertise to thousands of members of the Civil Construction, Excavation, Agricultural, Trucking, Crane and Aviation industries,” Smith said. “Prior to COVID, Cookie spoke at a large Geospatial Conference in Atlanta, about the success of the geospatial powerline planning tool, known as the lookupandlive.com app.”
“Cookie is a legend and I, and Energy Queensland, are lucky to have him working with us.”
One of Glen’s biggest achievements has been his work as a driving force behind the lookupandlive.com app, which was awarded the “Best Solution to an Identified Electrical Risk” at the 2019 Worksafe Queensland Awards. The tool allows workers to adequately plan their work near powerlines, obtaining plans of the networks, information on adequate control measures, and ability to apply for expert safety advice, all free of charge. The lookupandlive.com tool was also recognized by the Aerial Application Association of Australia (AAAA) in 2019, with Ergon/ Energex, for winning the “Leland Snow” Innovation Award. Glen has also worked closely with AAAA on a range of safety programs and sat on the Standards Australia Committee for the rewrite of the national powerline marking standard AS3891-2.
Glen has also been a first responder to serious injury/ burns and fatalities due to third party accidental contact with powerlines. “Glen works tirelessly to share safety messages and highlight the very real consequences of the wrong attitude towards powerline safety,” Smith added. “He has made it his business to understand the way the industries he is supporting operate so he can provide practical and effective safety advice.”
So, what makes Glen “Cookie” Cook a dp-PRO Damage Prevention Hero?
“Cookie freely gives his time and knowledge to any safety organization or project,” said Sher Kirk, Operations Director with Utility Safety Partners. “He is an incredible ambassador for powerline safety.”
“Cookie fosters a positive and proactive association of powerline safety messages within the community by building awareness of the dangers of accidental contact with overhead and underground powerlines,” Smith added. “His very effective method is to engage, educate and enable workers. Cookie is very much an advocate for the working community, understanding what it is they need and making it easier for people to get information and change their behavior when working around powerlines.”
“Glen directly contributed to the overwhelming success we had at a training event we held around the metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland,” said Rhett Simonds, Group Chairman & CEO of Simonds Group. “It’s great to work with people who can make a difference by positively influencing people who in turn, can influence industry to create a safer working environment.”
With all of the accolades going Glen “Cookie” Cook’s way, Aaron Smith probably said it best, “Cookie is a legend and I, and Energy Queensland, are lucky to have him working with us. He is making a big difference in saving both people’s lives and livelihoods.”
