PPL Montana’s Kerr Dam hydroelectric power plant will become the third industrial facility in the state to receive the highest federal recognition for its health and safety programs.
A representative from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recommended that the PPL Montana facility receive “Star” certification in the agency’s Voluntary Protection Program. Star certification is the highest safety recognition given within the VPP program, which recognizes companies whose health and safety programs go beyond OSHA standards.
The notification came after an extensive review by the agency of Kerr Dam’s safety programs, as well as interviews with employees to determine their knowledge, involvement and commitment to safety.
“Health and safety come first at PPL Montana, and the employees at Kerr Dam share this commitment,” said Brad Spencer, PPL Montana’s vice president and chief operating officer. “The employees have challenged themselves to continuously improve plant safety and health, and their success is reflected in receiving Star status.”
PPL Montana’s Corette plant was the first industrial site in the state to earn the VPP Star distinction. Only about 1,389 of the more than 7 million sites that OSHA monitors nationwide have achieved VPP recognition. VPP participant sites generally experience 50 percent fewer lost workday injuries than average sites in their industries.
OSHA evaluates the following components of a safety and health program to determine if a facility is worthy of VPP Star status: management leadership, employee involvement, work-site analysis, training, and hazard prevention and control. An OSHA team re-evaluates VPP Star sites every three to five years for recertification. To be recertified, sites must continue to show improvement in their safety and health programs.
“Reliable operations depend on safe operations, and PPL Montana is committed to both,” Spencer said.
Kerr Dam, a 190-megawatt hydroelectric facility located on the Flathead River 8 miles southwest of Polson, is co-licensed by PPL Montana and the Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Nation.
PPL Montana, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), has electric generating facilities throughout the state with a combined generating capacity of about 1,200 megawatts. PPL Montana has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena and employs 500 people. The company operates coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric power plants along Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. PPL EnergyPlus, another PPL subsidiary, operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale energy market. More information about the company is available at pplmontana.com.