Illinois American Water’s Cairo District Celebrates Over Two Decades of Safety Excellence

Team’s commitment to safety remains top priority

CAIRO, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illinois American Water’s Cairo District is celebrating over two decades of safety excellence. The local water system celebrated 21 years without experiencing any lost-time accidents on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020.

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

Mike Brown, operations superintendent for the Cairo district, credited the local team for their commitment. “The Cairo team makes safety their top priority - pandemic or no pandemic. The team’s commitment doesn’t change. If anything, it is emphasized.”

He 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’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.

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 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