Illinois American Water’s Sterling District Celebrates 5 Years of Working Safely

Illinois American Water’s Sterling District reached a significant safety milestone earlier this month. The local water service team celebrated five years without experiencing any lost-time accidents on Dec. 8, 2020.

Illinois American Water employees are provided with critical Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) and regular safety training. During the coronavirus pandemic, water company employees have also been equipped with face masks, hand sanitizer and more. Thermometers and additional safety equipment like social distancing signage have also been provided.

Charlotte Dunne, operations superintendent for the Sterling District, credited the local team for their commitment. “The Sterling team makes safety their top priority - pandemic or no pandemic. The team’s commitment hasn’t changed. If anything, it is emphasized.”

She continued, “Every day, we make a personal decision to not only protect ourselves and follow important safety protocols, but to look out for each other. At Illinois American Water, safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

Illinois American Water employees work around the clock to provide critical water service to homes and businesses. To provide these critical services for public health, fire protection and household uses, employees may need to work in confined spaces, among motorists and in extreme weather. Employees may also handle chemicals, conduct excavation and operate equipment.

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

Dunne said, “There is nothing more important than our team members going home in the same condition they arrived at work, if not better. We owe that to our coworkers and their families. There is no room for shortcuts when it comes to safety.”

Illinois American Water’s Sterling District serves approximately 6,500 customer connections.

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 6,800 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 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 #1 in Customer Satisfaction
with Large Water Utilities in the Midwest according to the J.D. Power
2020 Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study
For J.D. Power 2020 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards

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