2023 Good Catch Awards

Provo Water Company hosted its first annual Good Catch Awards Ceremony on February 24th, 2023. This is a special time of the year when we pause to recognize those individuals who demonstrated and contributed to making PWC a safer and healthier workplace through their Good Catch (GC) submissions in 2022. The ultimate goal of the Good Catch initiative is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths, as well as the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause for workers, their families, and employers. In 2022 PWC’s goal was to report (22) GC. PWC surpasses that by reporting (30) GC. On behalf of the HSC, we would like to thank all of you who took the time to report these good catches. GC is easily submitted using the online link.

The Good Catch program stresses the importance of taking full responsibility for your own safety and creating an environment that makes safe work practices easier to implement and maintain. In order to accomplish this, it begins with one very important thing, a CHANGE IN ATTITUDE! The Safety Coordinator stated, “We’ve all got excuses why we don’t follow safety rules at times; some of them are pretty good, but you know “excuses are kind of like belly buttons—everybody has one. It only takes that one mistake, one shortcut, or total disregard for safety that can cost you a limb or your life”.

As PWC moves towards more complex, sophisticated efficient equipment such as electrofusion. It’s not without its dangers. The manual for electrofusion comes with 14 pages of safety precautions. By taking shortcuts and having a total disregard for safety you are placing yourself in harm’s way.

An accident impacts the quality of life. Not just your life, your family, your spouse, and your workplace. The trouble is people hate change. If an accident happens that affects your mobility, that change is forced on you in a very distinct way. Many of the personal freedoms you once had are gone.
Research has shown that someone who has been on the job for a year is less likely to have an accident vs someone who has been on the job for 10-20 years. The longer we are on the job, the easier it is to become complacent and take safety for granted. Seasoned professionals often take shortcuts because they know how to do the job faster and they think, if I can just get through this quickly, I can get it done and be finished. This is a dangerous way of working. We have to remain committed, motivated, and have the right attitude- because your life and possibly your colleague’s life depends on it.

The four awards were presented by Mr. Aqua, the company’s mascot. The Good Catch Awardees for 2022:

• Department that submitted the most GC: Customer Service Department
• Individual who reported the most GC: Kneshia Clarke Forbes
• Safety Manager of the year: Adams Enciso
• Individuals that are consistent with wearing their PPE: Broimond Aristile, Cashmir (TI), and Stefon Tyndall.

Congratulations to this year’s Good Catch winners and we encourage all employees to continue to be proactive in their safety! We are proud to report no staff injuries were reported in 2022.