(excerpt from Public Power Daily)
More than 100 public power utilities were presented awards for their outstanding safety practices March 21 at the APPA Engineering and Operations Technical Conference in Nashville, Tenn. From 257 entries, 98 public power utilities, five joint action agencies, and a federal agency (the Western Area Power Administration) earned the safety award.
“When it comes to running an electric utility, safety should always be a top priority,” said David Dwinell, chair of the APPA Safety Committee and safety specialist at Denton Municipal Electric in Texas. “These utilities stand out as strong examples of how to run an operation that keeps utility staff out of harm’s way.”
In judging the annual contest, the APPA Safety Committee reviews three years worth of data prior to considering utilities for an award. Entrants were placed in medications categories according to their number of worker-hours and judged for the most incident-free records during 2010. The incidence rate, used to judge contest entries, is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2010, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The winners are grouped by worker-hours of exposure. The following utilities received first place awards, unless otherwise noted.
“Congratulations to our staff for keeping safety in the forefront of everything they do, especially in the difficult conditions many of them face each day.
My accolades to our great staff for a job well done!”
Michael R. Kirkwood
General Manager/CEO
Group C (utilities with 30,000 to 59,999 worker-hours of exposure)
Bryan Municipal Utilities, Ohio (Second place)
Cedarburg Light and Water Utility, Wis.
Chillicothe Municipal Utilities, Mo.
City of Crete Department of Public Works, Neb.
City of Gillette Electric Utility, Wyo.
City of Higginsville, Mo.
City of Monroe Energy Services, N.C.
City of Princeton Electric Department, Ill.
City of Statesville Electric Utility, N.C.
Erwin Utilities, Tenn.
Indianola Municipal Utilities, Iowa
Marblehead Municipal Light Department, Mass.
Marshall Municipal Utilities, Minn.
Massena Electric Department, N.Y.
Menasha Utilities, Wis.
Paragould Light, Water & Cable, Ark. (Second place)
Pascoag Utility District, R.I.
Piqua Power System, Ohio (Honorable mention)
Ripley Power and Light Co., Tenn.
Shelby Division of Electricity & Telecommunications, Ohio (Third place)
Wadsworth City Electric Department, Ohio