Sewer workers get Halloween treat for 1,000 days without lost work accident

Posted 11/4/14

As the media followed President Obama, chronicling what he ordered out from Gregg’s Restaurant in Providence Friday afternoon, not far away, at the Warwick Sewer Authority, Mayor Scott Avedisian …

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Sewer workers get Halloween treat for 1,000 days without lost work accident

Posted

As the media followed President Obama, chronicling what he ordered out from Gregg’s Restaurant in Providence Friday afternoon, not far away, at the Warwick Sewer Authority, Mayor Scott Avedisian was sitting down to a catered lunch of meatballs, penne and salad.

The occasion was the celebration of 1,000 days of operations without an accident. In recognition of the achievement, the Authority’s staff was treated to lunch…and sat through a few comments from the mayor, authority director Janine Burke, authority chairman Aaron Guckian and William Patenaude of the Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Water Resources. The lunch was paid for with the Authority’s safety fund.

Safety coordinator at the plant, Scott Goodinson also had a few words. He thanked co-workers for their attention to safety and how that has contributed to smooth plant operations.

Burke talked of how workers have also participated in the city’s health and wellness programs, adding that she is impressed by the health and safety culture of their workplace. She said she never wants to make that call to a co-worker’s loved one saying there has been an injury.

Avedisian called the record of nearly three years “amazing.” He said it reflects how workers care for one another, but also the value of the city’s investment in the technology and equipment to do their job. He noted that the city’s rating with the Rhode Island Inter-local Risk Management Trust, which is based on the number of accident claims, better than most other municipalities.

Patenaude praised the operation of the plant. He commented on the ongoing work to raise the levee to avert a recurrence of the flooding in 2010 that knocked out operations and to the plant’s upgrade for the removal of phosphorous.

“Some of the most important work is keeping our waters clean,” he said.

The plant staff didn’t linger. As they finished, they picked up their plates and headed back to their jobs. The officials took a bit longer; they were talking about the president’s visit and how traffic patterns had been disrupted.

Avedisian, who chairs the RIPTA board, used his cell to call the authority.

“It’s all back to normal,” he reported.

We were free to move about.

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