NEWS RELEASE: Princeton Public Utilities Wins APPA Safety Award
Washington D.C., March 29, 2022— Princeton Public Utilities (PPU) has earned the American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2021. The utility earned Honorable Mention in the category for utilities with 15,000-29,999 worker-hours of annual worker exposure.
“In our industry, safety is the top priority,” said Bob Scudder, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Industrial Hygiene and Corporate Risk Manager at Grand River Dam Authority. “This is a commitment that needs to come from the top down and permeate every aspect of operations. These awarded utilities have embraced this priority, and they deserve to be celebrated.”
318 utilities from across the country 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 2021. The 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 2021, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“The importance placed on safety by our staff is clear,” said Keith Butcher, General Manager of PPU. “Our staff work hard to ensure that everyone goes home safely each and every day. Safety is a true team effort and we are fortunate to have Joe Schmidt, Regional Safety Coordinator at the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA), as a guiding resource. He is a champion of promoting best safety practices throughout Minnesota. We also have strong support from the Princeton Public Utilities Commission to ensure safe and effective operations.”
The Safety Awards have been held annually for more than 65 years. APPA is the voice for not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.