Worker Safety Groups Implementation Skills Workshop

“The DWP is a good place to work,” safety consultant Bret Gwaltney told workshop participants.”It has the lowest turnover of any utility. It is tops in some areas; worker safety isn’t one of them.” DWP has twice the national average of on-the-job injuries, especially serious injuries. Gwaltney had high praise for Local 18 Business Manager Brian D’Arcy and President Frank Miramontes for their push for increased worker safety. DWP management is now also on board.

The DWP is in a downsized environment where you are asked to do more with less--a fact of life in a competitive industry. Gwaltney noted that “Worker’s Compensation claims cost the Department $50 million/year. There are companies with 50,000 employees who don’t have lost time injuries. The Department could be one of them.”

The Worker Safety Group program addresses the issues of safety in a competitive environment. Participants are supplied with education, safety principles and a variety of techniques to use when dealing with frontline issues. As Gwaltney sums it up, “We have rallied the forces, and people want to see a severe change.”