City of Fairburn Utilities Department Awarded the Jeff Cook Silver Award Plaque for Safety Excellence

During the 2023 Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG) Conference, the City of Fairburn's Utilities Department was awarded the Jeff Cook Silver Award Plaque for Safety Excellence.

The Jeff Cook Award for Safety Excellence is an honor awarded to municipal utilities departments that meet various criteria regarding safety in the workplace. The award was created to help ECG's Training & Safety Department encourage their participating cities and municipal organizations to improve their safety programs.

Safety in public utilities and specifically the electric lineman face many workplace hazards every day. These professionals work through high voltage power, heights, nighttime work, extreme weather conditions, long hours, motor vehicle accidents, and exposure to toxic substances. In the last four months, two electric lineman have lost their lives while working. The award was named after Jeffery Cook, to honor the trainer with ECG who passed away due to the devastating effects of Cancer.

"We are proud of our Utilities Department for not only working hard to provide services to our residents, but also keeping safety at the forefront," said Mayor Mario B. Avery. "These brave men and women are vital to our City and we congratulate them on this accomplishment."

ECG and The Georgia Electrical Municipal Safety Task Force recognizes the cities and municipal organizations who have exhibited a continued commitment to safety and whose department has implemented procedures to ensure the safety of their staff.

"The City of Fairburn and our top-notch Utility Department take employee safety very seriously," said City Administrator Tony M. Phillips. "We are excited that our hard work and dedication to building a safety first organization is being recognized by being awarded the Jeff Cook Award for Safety Excellence. We are committed to improving safety for our valued staff."

To achieve the standard required by this award, Utilities departments submit an application that documents their commitment to safety. Some of the topics that are judged in the application process include:

  • Employee Safety Awareness
  • Training & Education
  • Regularly Documented Safety Meetings
  • Accident Investigation Procedures
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Protective Devices
  • Facilities and availability of safety equipment on site.
  • Employee Procedures
  • Management Participation and more

" I am so proud of the achievements that my team has accomplished," said Director of Utilities John Martin. " We are honored to serve this great community and to do so in a way that keeps us all safe."

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