WE Energies - Milwaukee                                       
Category B4 - Agriculture, Forestry, Transportation, Mining & Utilities


Established in 1896, We Energies today serves more than 1.1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and more than one million natural gas customers in Wisconsin. We Energies also serves about 2,500 water customers in Milwaukee’s northern suburbs, and about 500 steam customers in Milwaukee.

With over 5,100 employees, its key to safety success has been an increased focus on accountability and leadership at all levels of the organization.

The company’s management team provides corporate leadership and direction in health and safety by creating, reviewing, approving, and communicating corporate policies, programs and directives. The Executive Safety Committee provides a forum for review and discussion of accidents and their prevention measures, new and ongoing safety and health initiatives, and provides for consistency as appropriate across business units.

In 2006, the Electric Operations and Gas Operations Safety Action Teams began restructuring its field and office safety teams to ensure that every employee has a voice and knows where to take safety concerns.

The Electric Operations and Gas Operations Safety Teams host weekly safety conference calls where injury data is discussed and prevention recommendations are made.

In 2006, the company implemented a new ergonomics program. Two teams began intensive studies of physically demanding tasks among electricians, plant operators, and plant mechanics.

We Energies has the distinction of being the host utility for a research project addressing the occupational health of power plant workers. The project is funded by EPRI, an international leader in conducting research for the electric power industry.

The project is the most comprehensive ergonomics project to date for power plant workers in the United States, and workers at We Energies have the opportunity to influence how jobs are designed and retrofitted for power plants across the United States.

The EPRI ergonomics project is directed specifically towards plant electricians, operators and mechanics as a result of an EPRI study which determined that these employees have the greatest incidence of injuries in power plants. The end product will be two ergonomics handbooks, which will be distributed to utilities throughout the U.S. in 2008.

In an effort to reduce back injuries, the company implemented the “Save-a-Back” program and is addressing lifting techniques.

We Energies will continue to strive to create an environment of continuous safety improvement.

 

Contact: Joe Quartemont, Consultant – Health & Safety, (414) 389-4381