Zeeland Board of Public Works Honored with National Award for Outstanding Safety Practices
ZEELAND BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS HONORED WITH NATIONAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SAFETY PRACTICES
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 2, 2023 – Zeeland Board of Public Works has earned the American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2022. The utility earned 1st place award in the category for utilities with 30,000-60,000 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.”
283 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 incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs and culture during 2022. 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).
“Zeeland BPW cares deeply about sending our employees home to their families safely every single day,” said Andrew Boatright, General Manager of Zeeland Board of Public Works. “We are proud to be honored for all the work that goes into standing behind this commitment.” Electric Transmission & Distribution Manager, Brian Coots echoes Boatright’s sentiments “To me, safety means everyone makes it home after work, ensuring we keep ourselves, fellow employees and customers safe at all times.”
Coots explains “electrical safety means understanding hazards you cannot see, smell or hear and protecting those unaware of potential danger. Safety is a ZBPW core value and supporting a culture of safety is of the utmost importance, demonstrated through our commitment to continual education and training for all staff.”
The 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.
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