The City of Newark Electric Department received the American Public Power Association's (APPA) Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2021. The Department won first place in Group C, which has 30,000 to 59,999 worker-hours of exposure, and was recognized at the APPA Engineering and Operations Conference today. 

318 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 incident rate, which is used to judge entries, is based on its number of work-related reportable 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 City of Newark maintains 175 miles of electric lines, nine substation sites, 30 substation units, circuit breakers and distribution transformers. Approximately 12,800 customers are supplied power from the City.