MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – Santee Cooper has earned the American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2022. The utility earned the first-place award in the category for utilities with 1,000,000 to 3,999,999 worker hours of annual worker exposure.
“Safety needs to be the first thing on every utility employee’s mind as they go about their work,” said Jim Boyd, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Electric Operations Safety Manager at Tacoma Power, Tacoma Washington. “The utilities honored by APPA for excellence in this area should be proud of the culture they have instilled in serving their communities.”
There were 283 utilities from across the country that entered the annual Safety Awards. Entrants were ranked according to their 2022 incidence rate and the overall state of their safety programs and culture. The incidence rate is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker hours during 2022, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Santee Cooper cares deeply about sending our team members home safely to their families every single day,” said Jimmy Staton, Santee Cooper President and CEO. “This is an honor that recognizes our entire team and all the work that goes into standing behind this commitment.”
The APPA Safety Awards have been held annually for more than 65 years. APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.