RICHLAND, Wash. – Energy Northwest earned the American Public Power Association's Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2021. The agency earned first place in the category for utilities with 1 million to 3.9 million worker-hours.
“We are thankful to receive this recognition from APPA, and I'm proud of our team for making safety our number one priority every day," said Bob Schuetz, Energy Northwest CEO.
Nearly 320 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 recordable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2021, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“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."
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. A complete list of winners is available at www.PublicPower.org.
About Energy Northwest
Energy Northwest develops, owns and operates a diverse mix of electricity generating resources, including hydro, solar, battery storage and wind projects – and the Northwest's only nuclear power facility. These projects provide carbon-free electricity at the cost of generation – enough clean, cost-effective and reliable energy to power more than a million homes each year. As an independent joint operating agency of Washington state, Energy Northwest comprises 27 public power member utilities from across the state serving more than 1.5 million customers. The agency continually explores new generation projects to meet its members' needs. Visit our website for more information about us. www.energy-northwest.com.
About American Public Power Association
The American Public Power Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. We represent public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 93,000 people they employ. Our association advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Our members strengthen their communities by providing superior service, engaging citizens, and instilling pride in community-owned power.
Contacts
Kelly Rae, Public
Affairs, 509-372-5376
Tobias Sellier, APPA, 202-467-2927
