Vista Irrigation District submitted a nomination for consideration to Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority (ACWA JPIA) for the Fall 2018 Safety Awards, which was recognized and awarded.  The award winning idea was highlighted at the Fall 2018 ACWA Conference and District employees Chris Craghead and Levi Marana were recognized at the District Board meeting on March 7, 2019. 

Chris and Levi, worked together to design and construct an in-house solution to prevent an employee from falling into an open vault.  Employees often access vaults that house distribution system regulators, sensors and valves for maintenance and repair.  This design allows an employee to fasten themselves to a fall restraint device prior to opening a vault lid, thus eliminating the potential fall hazard.

For the past twenty years, the H.R. LaBounty Safety Award program, sponsored by ACWA JPIA, has offered members an opportunity to promote safe work behavior and reward employees whose actions have contributed toward reducing the potential for risk.  Recognizing that potential safety hazards may best be solved by personnel who do the work on a regular basis and are most familiar with conditions, each year, there are close to 100 nominations from participating agencies across California.

This is the seventh year in a row that District employees have been awarded the H.R. LaBounty Safety Award and have been recognized for their contributions in reducing the potential for liability and losses.  The District applauds its employees’ ingenuity and commitment to safety.