Ten years ago, there was no ceremony, no speeches, and no formal kickoff to mark the beginning of this achievement. What began instead was something quieter but far more powerful: a shared commitment to make safety the foundation of every decision. Day by day, that commitment strengthened — ultimately carrying Ninemile Point to an extraordinary milestone: ten years without an employee OSHA recordable and more than sixteen years without an employee lost time event.
This culture wasn’t created overnight. It was built through countless small, deliberate actions taken on every shift. A mechanic double‑checking a lockout. An operator pausing to ask a coworker, “Do you need a hand?” Supervisors coaching with consistency and patience. Teams choosing to speak up rather than step aside. Together, these moments — repeated thousands of times — shaped a workplace defined by vigilance, accountability, and genuine care.
Over time, this became more than a program or a slogan. It evolved into a shared promise to each other and to our families: Everyone goes home safely.
Understanding the significance of this milestone requires understanding what’s behind the terms we use. An OSHA recordable is any work‑related injury or illness that meets OSHA’s criteria for logging on the OSHA 300 form. A lost time incident is a more serious subset of recordables — one where the injury prevents the employee from returning for their next scheduled shift. Both have impacts that extend beyond the individual, affecting families, coworkers, and plant operations.
Reaching a decade without either event is not only a reflection of Ninemile Point’s safety systems, but more importantly, a testament to the daily commitment of employees to protect one another. It represents ten years of families greeted safely at the door each night — proof that extraordinary things happen when people genuinely look out for each other.
“Reaching ten years without a lost time event is more than a safety milestone. It’s a reflection of the culture we’ve built together. Every day, our team chooses to look out for one another, to speak up and to do the right thing even when it’s not the easy thing. This achievement shows what’s possible when safety isn’t just a priority but a shared value. I’m incredibly proud of our people and the commitment they bring to this plant and to each other,” said Michael Lefler, senior manager of the Ninemile Point Power Plant.
During the weeklong celebration marking this achievement, employees were honored for the dedication and teamwork that made this milestone possible. The past decade has been shaped by discipline, mutual support, and an unwavering belief that a strong safety culture is both achievable and sustainable.
And this story is far from over. This milestone is not an endpoint — it is a marker on a journey we continue together, one safe day at a time.
