Wednesday, September 08, 2010      
 
 



American Water Enterprises
3100 South Lewis Blvd, RR6
Sioux City, IA 51106

Phone - 712-279-6916
Fax - 712-279-6191

  

Safety

A major priority at American Water continues to be the safety of the employees, facilities, and the general public. As of October 24, 2006, the Sioux City WWTP set a new safety record recording 1,932 days (+5 years) without a lost-time accident. This calculates to over 263,000 hours worked without one accident resulting in a lost-time accident. Unfortunately on October 24th, 2006, a Workman’s Compensation injury claim led to the first recordable lost-time injury at this facility in over 5 years.

This exceptional safety record can be contributed to a number of factors, such as routine Monthly Safety Training (including hands-on safety exercises), Safety Committee Meetings used to discuss and address any new or outstanding safety concerns, safety awareness and the safe work ethics practiced by each of the employees. Each employee is required to participate in all monthly safety courses and/or be current with all required safety certifications.

2007 Monthly Safety Training Topics:

January – Cardiovascular Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
February – First Aid Training
March – Chlorine Procedures
April – Emergency Response Training
May – Fire Extinguisher Training
June – Hazardous Communication (HazCom)
July – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s)
August – Confined Space Entry
September – Lifting Correctly/Back Safety
October – Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) Training
November – Blood Borne Pathogens
December – Chemical Hygiene Training and Self Contained Breathing Apparatus Testing- (SCBA) Fit Testing

Safety Committee
The Safety Committee is made up of members of each department, including department personnel, supervisors and managers. At the meetings, the committee discusses any new or outstanding safety concerns. To date, the committee has generated and addressed over fifty (50) safety concerns or potential safety hazards, ranging in nature from leaking pumps causing slick floors to installing concrete barricades along plant roads adjacent to excavated construction areas, to giving awareness of increased traffic and limited visibility caused by the construction. By hosting an open forum for employees to express safety concerns, it not only gives the employees an opportunity to discuss their concerns that may otherwise go unnoted, but it also allows employees the opportunity to contribute suggestions or resolutions to each issue and helps raise awareness of any hazards that may exist.