Wastewater Department Receives Awards
The City of Jasper Wastewater Department recently received three top safety awards at the 2013 Indiana Water Environment Association meetings. The IWEA is dedicated to preserving and protecting Indiana's waterways through educating members and the citizens of Indiana about the importance of our water environment.
The department received the IWEA Award for the fourth year in a row. The award is given to municipal facilities for Class I, II, III, IV, and industrial facilities. The program is designed to give recognition to plants that make grade to such an extent that a plant must sustain a minimum of loss-time accidents and a good merit point record. The Wastewater Plant completed the Safety Inspection Forms and accomplished a comprehensive Plant Safety Inspection with a score of 100% by an IWEA Inspector. WWTP is a Class III facility.
The Wastewater Department also received the state's top safety award – Indiana Burke Award! The award was established in 1982 and is presented to a municipal or industrial wastewater facility for establishing and maintaining an active and effective safety program. To be considered for the award, Ed Hollinden said, “The Wastewater plant had to undergo a ‘rigorous' inspection by an inspector and comprehensive review of our safety programs and records.” In receiving the Indiana Burke Award, the Wastewater Plant will be in the running for the US Water Environment Federation (WEF) Award in 2014.
Mark Pierce, Mechanic and Safety Committee Member, received the L.L. Larson Safety Award. The award is presented to an individual responsible for bringing safety improvements in the operation of the Wastewater facility. The individual brings improvements to the plant's operation, formation of safety rules, improved education and other improvements that would help reduce the number of incidents at a facility. Mark is the first to win the award since 2011. Mark was presented the award because of his continuous efforts to improve the safety of his co-workers and the Wastewater facility.
