MEUW members receive national recognition for safety performance 

March 24, 2021 — Municipal utilities across Wisconsin have earned national recognition for their safe operating practices in 2020. The 21 community-owned utilities are members of Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin (MEUW) and received the Safety Award of Excellence presented by the American Public Power Association (APPA).

The Wisconsin utilities being honored were among 329 utilities from across the country that entered the annual safety awards. Each entrant was placed in a category according to its number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records during 2020.

Utilities’ incidence rate, used to judge entries, is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2020, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). APPA has provided the annual safety awards for more than 65 years.

“We’re proud of our member utilities and their stellar safety records,” said MEUW Executive Director Tim Heinrich. “Keeping workers safe is a priority for municipal utilities across Wisconsin. The recognition from our national association highlights the commitment to employee health and safety.”

He added, “Receiving the APPA Safety Award of Excellence is a real accomplishment that requires hard work and commitment. That’s especially true in a year like 2020 when the pandemic presented all sorts of new challenges to staying safe and healthy at work. This honor should be a source of great pride for our member utilities and their communities.”

Wisconsin utilities that are MEUW members and were honored by APPA for 2020 safety performance are: