Eight ElectriCities of North Carolina member utilities have earned the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2020.
We extend our congratulations to the 2020 Safety Award Honorees:
- Gaffney Board of Public Works, SC: First Place in Group C (systems with 30,000 to 59,999 worker-hours of exposure)
- Town of Granite Falls: First Place in Group B (systems with 15,000 to 29,999 worker-hours of exposure)
- Greer Commission of Public Works, SC: First Place in Group B (systems with 15,000 to 29,999 worker-hours of exposure)
- City of Kinston: First Place in Group C (systems with 30,000 to 59,999 worker-hours of exposure)
- Laurens Commission of Public Works, SC: First Place in Group C (systems with 30,000 to 59,999 worker-hours of exposure)
- City of Newberry, SC: First Place in Group B (systems with 15,000 to 29,999 worker-hours of exposure)
- City of Shelby: Second Place in Group B (systems with 15,000 to 29,999 worker-hours of exposure)
- Town of Smithfield: First Place in Group A (systems with less than 15,000 worker-hours of exposure)
“Creating and maintaining a top notch safety program takes a great deal of dedication and hard work,” said Craig Batchelor, ElectriCities Manager of Safety and Training. “I know these public power communities are very proud of their electric departments. Congratulations!”
According to a news release from the APPA, 129 utilities have earned the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Safety Award of Excellence in 2020, out of 329 utilities from across the country that entered the annual safety awards.
Entrants were placed in categories according to their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records during 2020. Utilities’ incidence rate, used to judge entries, is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2020, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Utilities that receive an APPA Safety Award have demonstrated that they have made the health and safety of their employees a core value,” said Brandon Wylie, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Director of Training & Safety at Electric Cities of Georgia. “Designing and maintaining a top-notch utility safety program takes a lot of hard work and commitment. These utilities and their communities should be very proud.”
The safety awards have been held annually for more than 65 years.
A full list of the NC Public Power utilities earning the APPA Safety Award is available at www.electricities.com. A national list of designees is available at www.PublicPower.org.