Okanogan County PUD earned a second-place safety award from the Northwest Public Power Association for activities in 2020.

An annual tradition, NWPPA announces safety awards during its Engineering & Operations Conference, which was held virtually this year April 11-14. The awards are based on a review of each utility’s safety contest form, the number of recordable injury/illness cases, and the lost workdays in 2020, according to an NWPPA announcement.

“Workplace safety is a top priority for the utility industry as a whole and a high priority for Okanogan PUD,” General Manager Steve Taylor said.

Okanogan PUD took second place in the 150,001-500,000 hours of exposure category, with Inland Power & Light Company taking first place. Crews stayed safe despite the extra hours and challenges during the Cold Springs Wildfire in September.

“This past year we saw fires and snowstorms that required us to work in adverse conditions,” Taylor said. “Yet, we managed successfully to get the lights back on safely. I am proud to work with such a dedicated and safe team.”

The last safety awards Okanogan PUD earned were in 2017 and 2010, both first-place awards.