Health and Safety

Safety Objective: World-Class Performance
PPL believes that world-class companies have world-class safety performance. We define "world-class" as a business culture that promotes, develops and implements safety actions that result in the ultimate goal of no injuries or accidents in the organization.

Worker Safety – U.S.
PPL publishes safety rules and provides copies of a Safety Rule Book to all U.S.-based employees. The Safety Rule Book is subject to revision based on changes in regulations, company experience or work performed. Any employee may suggest changes to his or her supervisor, or to any member of PPL's Safety Operations department. Safety and Health Committees, made up of bargaining unit and management employees, represent employees at PPL work locations in the U.S. The role of these committees is to promote a safe work environment.

Safety data for 2006 for U.S. employees, not including mechanical contractors:

Worker Safety – U.K.
Western Power Distribution (WPD) has a clear and effective policy that outlines the way the company approaches its day-to-day tasks. The policy states how the company minimizes risk for workers and the public. WPD distributes a Health and Safety Policy booklet to employees so they understand that health and safety is a company goal and an ongoing business priority.

In June 2006, a veteran WPD lineman died when he fell from a utility pole. The incident was investigated by the company and U.K. authorities and ruled accidental. The accident represents the first reported job-related fatality among employees at WPD since 1998.  Following the accident, WPD management met with all employees stressing the importance of following safety procedures and using safety equipment.

Worker Safety – Latin America
PPL management in Latin America has instituted a number of initiatives to increase training and safety awareness among the many small contractor firms it uses.

Each contracting company is required to employ risk prevention experts and conduct safety inspections and reviews. Under a work program called “Zero Tolerance,” corrective measures in the event of a lack of safety compliance have been implemented.

Chile’s Security Mutual organization honored Emel in 2006 as one of just six Chilean companies — and the only one from the energy sector — for its commitment to employee safety programs and protection of the community. The Safety and Industrial Security manager for PPL Global Latin America is only one of 10 safety professionals among the 25,000 member companies of the safety organization to earn national recognition from this organization.

Four of the affiliates at Emel, PPL's electricity distribution holding company in Chile, earned safety awards for 2004 from the country's National Safety Council.  Only a minor injury in 2004 at Elecda, resulting in one lost workday, prevented a clean sweep of the awards by all of Emel's affiliates.

Voluntary Protection Program
Several PPL facilities in the U.S. have qualified as "Star" workplaces under the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Through VPP, labor, management and government establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that show excellence in occupational safety and health. VPP Star workplaces have comprehensive systems to identify, evaluate, prevent and control occupational hazards to prevent work-related injuries. VPP Star workplaces also have injury and illness rates at or below the average for their industries.

PPL facilities that have earned VPP Star certification are:

• The Martins Creek, Montour, Brunner Island, Susquehanna and Holtwood power plants in Pennsylvania
  
• The Corette, Kerr and Colstrip power plants in Montana
  
• All field worksites — about 40 locations — of PPL Electric Utilities
  
• The System Facilities Center, a testing, repair and laboratory facility in Pennsylvania
  
• PPL Interstate Energy, which operates an oil and natural gas pipeline in Pennsylvania
  
• PPL's corporate headquarters

Sharing Best Practices
PPL affiliates share best safety practices among its U.S., U.K. and Latin American companies in order to learn from each other. 

The safety managers in each company work together towards the same safety and health principles.  A list of principles has been adopted globally within PPL including:

The safety of employees, contractors and the public is a sustaining priority for PPL.

All PPL companies manage safety using appropriate standards and procedures.

All PPL companies develop and/or maintain effective procedures to communicate safety information to their staff, contractors and the public.

 This page addresses the following GRI indicators: 2.9, 2.18, LA5, LA6 and LA7