Story provided by City of Stillwater
Stillwater Electric Utility earned the Diamond status, the highest possible award ranking, from American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2023, with 110,000-249,999 worker-hours of annual worker exposure. They also received the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3)® Diamond member designation for providing reliable and safe electric service.
More than 160 utilities entered the annual Safety Awards for 2023. Entrants were placed in categories according to their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs and culture during 2023. The incidence rate is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2023, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Stillwater Electric Utility is proud of its safety record,” Loren Smith, Electric Utility Director of Stillwater Electric Utility said. “This Diamond status award is a testament to the hard work that goes into ensuring that our team members go home safe to their families every day.”
The Safety Awards have been held annually for more than 65 years.
“In our industry, safety has to be top of mind all day every day,” said Scott McKenzie, Chair of APPA’s Engineering and Operations Conference safety track and Senior Director of Member Training & Safety at AMP Inc. “These honored utilities have demonstrated a commitment to safety that runs through every aspect of their organizations.”
The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement.
Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. Stillwater Electric Utility joins more than 250 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation.
Stillwater Electric Utility is one of two municipal utilities to hold the Diamond member ranking in Oklahoma, the highest possible ranking for members.
“Receiving an RP3 designation is a great honor signifying a utility has demonstrated commitment to industry best practices,” said Jeremy Ash, Chair of APPA’s RP3 Review Panel and Chief Operating Officer at Kansas City Board of Public Utilities, Kansas. “And ultimately, the culture developed from this pursuit of excellence and continued improvement through the RP3 program results in measurable value delivered to the local community.”
“We couldn’t be prouder to be honored with the Diamond member designation,” said Loren Smith, Electric Utility Director of Stillwater Electric Utility. “This is the culmination of a lot of work from a lot of people who really care about powering our community. But this designation is not a final destination. We are committed to continuing to look for ways to improve our operations and service to our customers.”