Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) will be recognized for excellence in workplace safety and health during the Governor's Safety Awards ceremony on May 8th at the 85th annual Minnesota Safety & Health Conference at Mystic Lake Center. SMMPA is one of 294 employers to be honored through the awards program, coordinated by the Minnesota Safety Council.
"Every day in Minnesota, about 100 workers get injured or ill to the point that they can't go back to their job the next day," said Paul Aasen, president of the Minnesota Safety Council. "Congratulations to SMMPA for their hard work to make sure their employees are not part of this statistic."
"Working together, we have created a safety culture here at SMMPA, and this award shows our collective commitment to that culture," said Dave Geschwind, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of SMMPA. "I'm proud of our team for placing such a high value not only on their own safety, but that of their coworkers."
Since 1934, the annual Governor's Safety Awards program has honored Minnesota employers with exceptional safety performance. Applicants are judged on several years of injury data as it compares with their industry's national statistics, and on their progress in implementing a comprehensive safety program.
Winners are recognized at three levels:
• Meritorious Achievement (170 winners): Incidence rates that are better than the industry average for at least three years, and a score between 50 and 7 4 on a 100-point safety program evaluation scale.
• Outstanding Achievement (83 winners): Continuing improvement and/or a continuing outstanding record with incident rates that are 51 %-90% better than the industry average, and a score between 75 and 90 on the safety program evaluation scale.
• Award of Honor (41 winners): Incidence rates at least 91 % better than the industry average, and a score between 91 and 100 on the safety program evaluation scale.
SMMPA received a Meritorious Achievement Award for exemplary workplace safety efforts in 2018.
The Governor's Safety Awards recognition is part of the 85th annual Minnesota Safety & Health Conference, coordinated by the Minnesota Safety Council. The conference is the oldest and one of the largest gatherings of workplace safety and health professionals in the region. The Minnesota Safety Council, founded in 1928, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional injuries.
