Illinois American Water’s Cairo District Celebrates 22 Years of Safety Excellence

Illinois American Water’s Cairo District is celebrating over two decades of safety excellence. The local water system celebrated 22 years, or over 8,000 days, without experiencing any lost-time accidents on Aug. 17, 2021.

Illinois American Water employees attend safety training on a regular basis which includes both online classes and hands-on training. Employees are provided critical personal protective equipment (PPE), work zone protective equipment, chemical handling requirements and training and more to support safe work practices.

Mike Brown, operations superintendent for the Cairo District, credited the local team for their commitment. “The work we do is complex, and our employees have remained focused on the safety of the entire team while delivering safe, reliable service.”

To complete this complex work safely Illinois American Water’s workforce is trained in chemical handling, confined spaces and more. The team also participates in job site and facility audits to support a safe working environment. In addition, Company contractors are held to the same safety expectations as employees.

Illinois American Water employees work around the clock to provide critical water and/or wastewater service to homes and businesses. Employees are encouraged to use the Company’s Near Miss Program to help identify possible hazards without fear of reprisal. The Near Miss reports are investigated, and corrective actions are applied and shared across the company to benefit the safety of all employees.

Brown added, “Safety is one of our core values. Every day, we make a personal decision to not only protect ourselves and follow important safety protocols, but to look out for each other. There is no room for shortcuts when it comes to safety.”

The Illinois American Water Cairo District team has earned national recognition for their safety record. The team was awarded the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Wendell R. LaDue Utility Safety Award in both 2017 and 2011. The award recognizes distinguished safety programs by water utilities and requires excellent safety records for five consecutive years, as well as a consistent safety program focused on continuous improvement.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Illinois American Water Ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Large Water Utilities in the Midwest for Two Years in a Row.
For J.D. Power 2021 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards

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