Columbia Power wins major safety award

By Contributor

October 26th, 2012

Columbia Power has received the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety, Silver Award Level and the CEA Vice President’s Award of Safety Excellence, Bronze Award Level for Generation.

The award is primarily due to its employees and contractors for their safety contribution over the past year.

For over 40 years, the CEA has tracked the employee safety record of its member utilities. By promoting safety, the CEA President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety has assisted CEA members in meeting their objectives of injury reduction and continuous improvement in overall safety performance.

“We are very pleased once again be recognized by the CEA,” said Jane Bird, President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Power Corporation

“Safety is truly a core value of our organization and we appreciate the recognition.”

To receive the CEA President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety, Columbia Power was ranked within the top 25 per cent for both the all injury/illness frequency rate and the lost-time injury severity rate.

The CEA Vice President’s Award of Safety Excellence was initiated in 2012 and recognizes the safety performance by CEA member utilities according to their line of business and their size.

Columbia Power has a safety management system to effectively manage its responsibilities as an employer and project owner. Columbia Power’s projects include Arrow Lakes Generating Station, Brilliant Dam and Expansion Project, and the Waneta Expansion Project currently under construction near Trail..

Columbia Power is a crown corporation wholly owned and controlled by the Province of British Columbia. Columbia Power’s mandate is to manage assets and undertake power project investments as the agent of the Province.

For more information about Columbia Power, please visit www.columbiapower.org.

Photo caption: Columbia Power’s Chief Operating Officer, Frank Wszelaki (middle) and Health and Safety Manager, Andre Noel (left) are pictured alongside Jim Burpee, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) in Ottawa, Ontario proudly accepting Columbia Power’s 2012 CEA President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety, Silver Award Level and the CEA Vice President’s Award of Safety Excellence, Bronze Level for Generation.