Austin Utilities has been recognized with three awards related to workplace safety.

The company was given an award for excellence in workplace safety and health at the Governor’s Safety Awards luncheon on May 10 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The company is one of 279 employers to be honored through the awards program, coordinated by the Minnesota Safety Council.

Austin Utilities also earned the American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2017. The utility earned the first place award in the category for utilities with 110,000-249,999 worker-hours of annual worker exposure. It marked the third consecutive year Austin Utilities has earned the award. The award was presented on April 30 during the 2018 Engineering & Operations Technical Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Austin Utilities was also the recipient of an MEA Accident Prevention Data award for having the lowest DART rate in its category. DART rate is a mathematical calculation that describes the number of recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time employees that resulted in days away from work, restricted work activity and/or job transfer that a company has experienced in any given time frame.

“Austin Utilities takes a lot of pride in its safety record,” said Mark Nibaur, general manager of AU. “When you are in the business we are in, sending our folk’s home safe to their families is our top priority.”

Safety is one of Austin Utilities five values along with commitment, customer/community focus, operational excellence and stewardship. It has an active safety committee that meets monthly and includes members from each department at the utility.