Safety from the front lines: One employee’s message
Friday, June 7, 2013
For many of us, natural gas heats our homes, cooks our meals and ensures hot water is there when you need it. Our job is to deliver it to you 24/7, and it couldn’t happen without employees who are committed to doing it safely and reliably.
Chris Wiles is one of those employees. He works as a storage operator at our Muldraugh facility, one of the first underground storage facilities in the nation. It’s an important job that requires him to work near high-pressure gas transmission lines, always with a laser focus on the well-being of himself and others.
“Safety means everything,” he says.
Wiles comes from a big family and says he wants to come home to his four children the same way he left for work. “I want to go home to my kids, be able to see and hear every day and continue my life as normal.”
Wiles’ safety along with our more than 3,000 employees and 1.2 million customers is a top priority at LG&E and KU. In conjunction with National Safety Month, we will be highlighting such topics in June as the company’s safety practices, safety tips, employees’ first-hand experiences and the utilities’ nationally and internationally recognized superior safety standards.
“Winning nearly 200 safety awards in the last decade, LG&E and KU are proud of the utilities’ legacy and dedication toward safe practices,” said Ken Sheridan, director of operations and Security at LG&E and KU. “Safety starts with each individual employee at every level of the company, and our stringent safety standards serve as a cornerstone in our ability to deliver safe, reliable energy and superior customer service.”
Most recently, KU’s E.W. Brown and Ghent generating stations received the 2013 Governor’s Safety Award for employees achieving more than 5.4 million consecutive work hours without lost time due to injury or illness.
In addition to this year’s Governor’s Safety Awards, last year, the utilities also received:
• Southern Gas Association Safety Achievement Award — Gas Distribution, Louisville
• Kentucky Gas Association 2011 Accident Prevention Award — Gas Operations — (13th consecutive year)
• Edison Electric Institute Safety Achievement Award — Richmond Operations
• Southern Gas Association Accident Prevention Award — Gas Regulatory Services
• 2012 Kentucky Emergency Services Conference Award — for dedication to the emergency services community
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award — Lexington Substation Construction and Maintenance
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award — Danville Substation Construction and Maintenance
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award – Mill Creek
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award – Ghent
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award – E. W. Brown
Visit www.lge-ku.com/tips for ways you can be safe and energy smart during hot weather. And, think of Chris Wiles the next time you cook a meal on the gas stove. He’s one of many working behind the scenes to keep the gas flowing and the lights on.
Chris Wiles is one of those employees. He works as a storage operator at our Muldraugh facility, one of the first underground storage facilities in the nation. It’s an important job that requires him to work near high-pressure gas transmission lines, always with a laser focus on the well-being of himself and others.
“Safety means everything,” he says.
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| Chris Wiles is our storage operator at our Muldraugh facility. |
Wiles comes from a big family and says he wants to come home to his four children the same way he left for work. “I want to go home to my kids, be able to see and hear every day and continue my life as normal.”
Wiles’ safety along with our more than 3,000 employees and 1.2 million customers is a top priority at LG&E and KU. In conjunction with National Safety Month, we will be highlighting such topics in June as the company’s safety practices, safety tips, employees’ first-hand experiences and the utilities’ nationally and internationally recognized superior safety standards.
“Winning nearly 200 safety awards in the last decade, LG&E and KU are proud of the utilities’ legacy and dedication toward safe practices,” said Ken Sheridan, director of operations and Security at LG&E and KU. “Safety starts with each individual employee at every level of the company, and our stringent safety standards serve as a cornerstone in our ability to deliver safe, reliable energy and superior customer service.”
Most recently, KU’s E.W. Brown and Ghent generating stations received the 2013 Governor’s Safety Award for employees achieving more than 5.4 million consecutive work hours without lost time due to injury or illness.
In addition to this year’s Governor’s Safety Awards, last year, the utilities also received:
• Southern Gas Association Safety Achievement Award — Gas Distribution, Louisville
• Kentucky Gas Association 2011 Accident Prevention Award — Gas Operations — (13th consecutive year)
• Edison Electric Institute Safety Achievement Award — Richmond Operations
• Southern Gas Association Accident Prevention Award — Gas Regulatory Services
• 2012 Kentucky Emergency Services Conference Award — for dedication to the emergency services community
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award — Lexington Substation Construction and Maintenance
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award — Danville Substation Construction and Maintenance
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award – Mill Creek
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award – Ghent
• Kentucky Governor’s Health and Safety Award – E. W. Brown
Visit www.lge-ku.com/tips for ways you can be safe and energy smart during hot weather. And, think of Chris Wiles the next time you cook a meal on the gas stove. He’s one of many working behind the scenes to keep the gas flowing and the lights on.
