The Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) recently announced the winners of its 2019 Occupational Health and Safety Awards. CEA members were recognized from coast to coast for outstanding health and safety achievements.

The annual awards reflect CEA members’ ongoing commitment to ensuring safe practices, according to Francis Bradley, president and CEO of the CEA. “We have a community working across the country on a shared vision of being the safest, most reliable and sustainable electricity sector in the world,” he added.

The following electricity companies were recognized for safety excellence over this past year:

Group 1 (1-499*)

• Newfoundland Power: Winner of the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Generation
• Newfoundland Power: Winner of the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Transmission
• Northwest Territories Power Corp.: Winner of the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Distribution

Group 2 (500-999*)

• Nalcor: Winner of the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Generation
• AltaLink: Winner of the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Transmission
• ENMAX: Winner of the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Distribution

Group 3 (1000 plus*)

• Ontario Power Generation: Winner of the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Generation
• Toronto Hydro: Winner of the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence for Employee Safety in Distribution

* Full Time Equivalent Employees Per Business Unit

In addition, the CEA honoured 23 employees of member companies who, over the past year, were involved in a lifesaving attempt or acted to prevent further harm to someone who needed immediate assistance. The honourees of the Lifesaver Awards are:

Yukon Energy Corporation: Darrell Johnson, Lowell Tait

FortisAlberta: Greg Bennett, Lyndin Edwards

SaskPower: Brandon Bailey, Cody Sastaunik, Alex Scappaticci, Larry Chorney, Brody Kronberg, Kevin Martin, Kyle Spilchen, Nevin Gurniak, Stacey Kazakoff, Mike Neubauer

NB Power Corporation: Serge Gendron, Joel Bertin

Nova Scotia Power: John Hopkins, Paul Demers, Darnell Tolliver

Maritime Electric: Scott A MacDonald, Tyler Pineau

BC Hydro: Nick Labadie

Newfoundland Power: Roger Pennell

The CEA also presented an award for Sustainability Leadership, which they awarded to Alectra Utilities’ president, Max Cananzi. The 2019 Individual Leadership on Sustainability award recognized “achievements and promoting sustainability broadly and locally within the electricity sector.”

The CEA recognized organizations “demonstrating innovation, leadership and transformation that are critical to creating a sustainable electricity industry” at the annual Powering Partnerships awards reception in Ottawa.

As a result of Max’s leadership and commitment to sustainability, Alectra Utilities has reduced single-use plastics by eliminating plastic water bottles, connected some corporate offices to district energy services and invested in electric and hybrid vehicles. Most recently, Alectra has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2026.