MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — Santee Cooper has earned one of the nation’s highest safety honors while also finishing among the top performers at a national lineworkers competition.
The utility received the American Public Power Association (APPA) Safety Award of Excellence for its 2025 operations, marking the 19th consecutive year it has been recognized for workplace safety.
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Santee Cooper achieved Diamond Certification, the highest level awarded by the American Public Power Association, which evaluates utilities based on low incident rates and overall safety performance. The designation is reserved for organizations with significant worker exposure hours and strong safety records.
“Out of all the critical jobs that Santee Cooper teammates do every day, nothing is more important than working safely and looking out for each other,” said Jimmy Staton, president and CEO of the utility. “This award is a testament to the hard work that has gone into building this culture and ensuring that our teams have a safe work environment.”
APPA has presented its Safety Awards for more than six decades, with more than 240 utilities nationwide competing for recognition in 2025. The rankings are based on incident rates calculated using workplace injuries or illnesses and total worker hours, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In addition to the safety award, Santee Cooper lineworkers also delivered a strong showing at the APPA National Lineworkers Rodeo held over the weekend.
A Journeyman team made up of Jamie Anderson, Hunter Melton and Noah Enzor earned second place overall in the Journeyman competition. The team also placed second in Storm Restoration and third in Underground Residential Distribution New Installation (12KV).
In the Apprentice division, A.J. Rikard of Garden City finished third overall. Santee Cooper technicians swept the top three spots in the Apprentice Arrestor Replacement Single Phase Two Wire event, with Rikard taking first, followed by Joe Stachowicz in second and Javier Diaz in third.
Additional top finishes included Rikard placing third in Single Phase Two Wire Tie-In/Untie and Lucas Jordan of Conway taking third in Load Transfer.
“These specialized rodeos create a fun atmosphere for our line crews to showcase their line technician skills and how they perform them safely,” Staton said. “We’re very proud of our team’s results this year.”
The APPA represents more than 2,000 community-owned utilities across the country.
