Tullahoma Utilities Authority (TUA) has earned the American Public Power Association Safety Award of Excellence for its safe operating practices.  TUA received First Place in the 60,000 to 109,999 worker hours of exposure category during the American Public Power Association’s National Engineering & Operations Conference.  Entrants were placed in categories according to their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs and culture during 2022. A utility’s incidence rate is based on its 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).

“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 in Washington. “The utilities honored by APPA for excellence in this area should be proud of the culture they have instilled in serving their communities.”

Receiving the APPA Safety Award of Excellence is an honor, as utilities who receive this award have demonstrated that they have made the health and safety of their employees a core value. While it takes many hours of hard work and commitment to design and maintain a top-notch utility safety program, the drive for dedication to safety is about understanding the importance of going home healthy to our families each day.

“TUA cares deeply about sending our team members home safely to their families every single day,” TUA President Brian Skelton said in a statement. “This is an honor that recognizes our entire team and all the work that goes into standing behind this commitment.”

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 96,000 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.