PowerStream Earns Recognition for Promoting Employee Health & Safety

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 7, 2012) - PowerStream's efforts in promoting health and safety to its workforce has earned the company recognition from Canadian Occupational Safety as a Silver Recipient of Canada's Safest Employers Award in the Transportation and Utilities category for 2012.

The award was presented to PowerStream officials Thursday evening at the Canada's Safest Employers Award 2012 Winners' Gala held at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex.

A panel of nine judges selected PowerStream for the award through a rigorous selection and judging process. The electric utility, which serves customers in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario, has an extensive number of health and safety policies, procedures and programs in place that work to promote and maintain a culture of safety throughout the organization.

The company has benefited from its efforts in health and safety efforts in a number of ways. As a result of having few injury claims over the years, PowerStream has been able to earn rebates on insurance premiums it pays annually to the Ontario Workplace Compensation and Insurance Board (WSIB). Also, Rob Ellis, a renowned and well-respected workplace safety advocate, has recognized PowerStream as a "Safety Champion," for providing comprehensive training programs to its employees and promoting safety within the communities the company serves.

QUOTES

• "I am extremely proud of our company's achievements in successfully engaging our employees in programs that promote health and safety," said Frank Scarpitti, PowerStream Board Chair and Mayor of the City of Markham. "Promoting health and safety is more than good business sense, it's great people sense. We're committed to safety and wellness throughout our organization."
  
  
• "Canada's Safest Employers Award has provided some great opportunities to get to know some of Canada's leaders in health and safety promotion," says Mari-Len De Guzman, editor of Canadian Occupational Safety magazine, a Thomson Reuters publication, which runs the award program. "PowerStream was identified as one of the top employers because of its great efforts in maintaining a healthy and safe workplace we can all be proud of."

BACKGROUND

• PowerStream has been acknowledged on several occasions for being a leading employer. In addition to being recognized as one of 'Greater Toronto's Top Employers' for 2012 by Mediacorp, the company was recently named one of 'Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces™" in Canada'. In November 2011, PowerStream earned the 'Smart Commute Employer of the Year Award' for North Toronto, Vaughan.

ABOUT CANADA'S SAFEST EMPLOYERS AWARD

Canada's Safest Employers Award was launched in December 2010 as a program to recognize outstanding Canadian companies that are making a difference in promoting the health and safety of their workers.

ABOUT POWERSTREAM

PowerStream is the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, providing service to approximately 355,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. It is jointly owned by the Cities of Barrie, Markham and Vaughan.

LET'S CONNECT!

eStream - Blog.PowerStream.ca

Twitter - @PowerStreamNews

YouTube - PowerStreamTV

LinkedIn - PowerStream