Benton Utilities (BU) has earned the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2025.  The utility earned a diamond award in the category for utilities with 30,000 to 59,999 worker-hours of annual employee exposure.  The Diamond Award is the highest level of the APPA Safety Award of Excellence, honoring utilities with the lowest incident rates and exemplary safety programs. 

“Our employees along with our safety committee work each and every day to make sure we are a safe place to work, and this award shows safety is our number one priority for our entire team,” said Terrie Sossamon, BU Human Resources Manager who also manages and coordinates safety for BU. 

Over 240 utilities submitted entries for the annual Safety Awards for 2025.  The entrants are ranked in accordance with their number of worker-hours and placed based on the most incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs during 2025.  The incident rate is based on the number of work-related recordable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2025. 

“Benton Utilities Staff and Commission are proud of its safety record,” said Todd Pedersen, Benton Utilities General Manager.  “Receiving this honor the second year in a row is a true testament to the effort and commitment that goes into ensuring our employees go home safe to their families each and every day by working toward zero injuries.”

“In Public Power, safety excellence isn’t achieved by chance. It’s earned through unwavering discipline, strong leadership, and a culture where every team member looks out for one another,” said Jon Beasley, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Vice-President of Electric Cities of GA. “These Safety Award recipients stand as proof that commitment and consistency save lives, strengthen communities, and set the benchmark for our entire industry.”

The APPA has conducted the Safety Awards annually for more than sixty-eight years.  APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. 

Benton Utilities is the provider of water, wastewater and electric service to the City of Benton and has been providing these services since 1916.