North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
Santee Cooper earned the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2019. The utility earned first place in the category for utilities with 1,000,000 to 3,999,999 worker-hours of annual worker exposure.
“Strong safety programs are essential to ensuring that electric utility employees are informed and trained on safe work procedures,” said Brandon Wylie, chair of the APPA’s Safety Committee and director of training and safety at Electric Cities of Georgia. “The utilities receiving this award have proven that protecting the safety of their employees is a top priority.”
More than 335 utilities entered the annual Safety Awards, which is the highest number of entrants in the history of the program. Entrants were placed in categories according to their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records during 2019. The incidence rate, used to judge entries, is bases on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2019, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“The safety of our employees is Santee Cooper’s top priority,” said Ken Lott, Santee Cooper’s Chief Administration Officer. “Winning first place in this category for the third time in the last four years in a reflection of the safety-first culture created by our workforce in providing reliable and affordable electricity to our fellow South Carolinians.”
The APPA Safety Awards have been held annually for the past 60 years. The American Public Power Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.
Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s largest power provider, largest Green Power generator and the ultimate source of electricity for 2 million people across the state. Through its low-cost, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity and water services, and through innovative partnerships and initiatives that attract and retain industry and jobs, Santee Cooper powers South Carolina. To learn more, visit www.santeecooper.com and follow #PoweringSC on social media.
