Detroit Edison's River Rouge Power Plant Receives Award for
Workplace Safety & Health Excellence
Contact:
Mario L. Morrow 517-373-9280
Agency:
Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
January 27, 2010 - Detroit Edison's River Rouge Power Plant received the Rising Star Award for workplace safety and health excellence from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) at a special ceremony and luncheon today. The MIOSHA program is part of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG).
"We are proud to welcome Detroit Edison's River Rouge Power Plant into this exceptional group of Michigan MVPP companies," said DELEG Director Stanley "Skip" Pruss. "Your dedication to employee safety and health excellence sends a strong message to all employers that worker protection is a sound business decision."
The Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP) Rising Star Award is given to companies that have an outstanding safety and health management system in place and have the desire and commitment to achieve the highest level, the Michigan Star Award. Only employers with the best safety and health programs are eligible for the MVPP Program.
MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski presented the MVPP Rising Star Award to Lynette Dowler, Central Area Director, Detroit Edison Fossil Generation Group; Brian Rice, River Rouge Plant Manager; and Jason Cousino, River Rouge UWUA Local 223 Field Safety Specialist; who accepted on behalf of all River Rouge employees. Employees and invited guests attended the ceremony.
"The employees at River Rouge Power Plant have worked very hard for a number of years to develop an expectation that we will be safe in our daily operation," said Rice. "We appreciate this recognition and will continue to work in the spirit of continuous improvement to achieve a world-class safety culture because that means we all go home to our families and loved ones every day safe and well."
MVPP sites must have incidence rates below the Michigan average for three years. The River Rouge Power Plant's rates are below the Michigan industry average for their NAICS code 221112 - Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation. Their total case incidence rate (TCIR) was 1.6 in 2008, 3.2 in 2007, and 2.1 in 2006, compared to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) industry average of 3.4 in 2008 and 2007, and 3.9 in 2006. Their total days away/restricted/transfer cases (DART) rate was 0.0 in 2008, 0.5 in 2007, and 1.6 in 2006, compared to the BLS industry average of 1.9 in 2008 and 2007, and 2.2 in 2006.
"National VPP sites experience 60 to 80 percent less lost-work-day injuries than would be expected of an average site in their industry," said Kalinowski. "Not only does the MVPP program significantly reduce injuries and illnesses - it also has a tremendous impact on the bottom line."
The River Rouge Power Plant has 155 employees, many of whom are represented by Local 223, Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA). The MIOSHA review team − Doug Kimmel, Team Leader and CET MVPP Specialist; Jeff Kelley, CET Senior Safety Consultant; and Fred Kirkland Jr., CET Senior Industrial Hygienist − conducted 37 formal and 14 informal interviews during the site visit. The team examined each of the required elements of their safety and health management system and found them to effectively address the scope and complexity of the hazards at the site.
Detroit Edison has key corporate goals to make sure that employees at all their facilities have a safe and healthy work environment. Their workplace safety goals include:
To focus on increasing hazard recognition and on the proactive behaviors that help prevent injuries;
To strive to improve learning from one another;
To continue to reduce incident rates; and
To increase their potential for sustaining long-term improvement.
River Rouge Power Plant areas of excellence include:
The excellent working relationship between the management and union staff;
JHA's (job hazard analysis) have been completed for all jobs in the plant;
The company's Design Safety Program requires a review of new equipment prior to the equipment being turned over for production;
Comprehensive Safety Walk-down Audits are conducted monthly;
An effective employee suggestion program called C.A.R. (corrective action requests);
The safety training requirements for each job classification (managers, supervisors, and employees) in the facility are documented in a Training Matrix.; and
Extensive supervisory and management safety responsibility which is documented through the DTE Energy Employee Appraisal System.
The facility has the following goals to achieve Star status: continue to improve and advance the systems in place to assure that all employees are involved and knowledgeable; improve emergency response procedures; complete valve identification to ensure safer startup/shutdown procedures; and implement more industrial hygiene monitoring.
The River Rouge facility embraces the Detroit Edison Fossil Generation Group's Vision/Mission: "We power the progress of society by generating energy valued by our customers. We are recognized for our commitment to safety, environmental stewardship and community involvement. We are flexible and adapt to change. We aggressively drive toward reliability, efficiency and lower cost through continuous improvement. We lead our industry in operational excellence by being engaged and dedicated. We are a learning organization that constantly seeks input and opportunities to improve."
Detroit Edison is an investor-owned electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a subsidiary of DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE), a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Information about DTE Energy is available at www.dteenergy.com.
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