Mason PUD 1 Wins Another Top Safety Award from Northwest Public Power Association

Just weeks after receiving first place safety honors for the second year in a row from the American Public Power Association in April, PUD 1 received the same top recognition again from the Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA), bringing the utility’s total to four first place safety awards in the last 24 months. Darin Hall, PUD 1’s director of operations, reported the good news to the board of commissioners, stating, “To win four first place safety awards in two years says a lot about our focus on continuous improvement and the efforts we have put into our safety program.”
NWPPA’s safety contest awards are based upon a review of each utility’s safety report, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which reports the number of recordable injury/illness cases and the lost work days in 2019. Mason PUD 1 tied with WASCO Electric Cooperative in Oregon and Grant County PUD in Washington for first place in the category of “0-40,000 Hours of Exposure”.
Hall also praised his operations employees at the commission meeting. “This award was earned by everyone here at our utility, but I am especially proud of the focus that the line and water crews have put into safer working practices. They work in really dangerous situations, and in past years we had some minor, mostly avoidable accidents before we really stepped up our program. The crews are taking safety seriously and we are seeing that effort pay off,” stated Hall.