CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas
(NYSE: PNY) today announced that its Anderson, South Carolina utility operations
have been awarded the Safety and Health Recognition Program (SHARP)
designation by the South Carolina OSHA. The designation for
Piedmont's Anderson district is the first ever for any
natural gas utility in the state of South
Carolina.
In order to qualify for the designation, a company or location
must go through a rigorous application and on-site review process
that demonstrates management's commitment to a system for hazard
identification, correction, and control; provides employees with
extensive safety and health training; assures employee
participation in safety and health programs; and, demonstrates
positive results through a total injury or illness incident rate
and a total lost workday incident rate that is below the state
average for the applicant's industry for each of the last three
years.
Commenting on the award, Michael H.
Yount, Piedmont's senior
vice president of utility operations said, "We are truly honored to
receive the South Carolina OSHA's SHARP Award designation for our
Anderson operations. It is a
tribute to our employees there for their commitment to working safe
for themselves, their teammates, and for our customers. This
award is special, too, because it reflects Piedmont's long-standing commitment to a
culture of safety that we seek to instill in all our employees
through continuous improvement, training and development, and
collaboration and communication."
Today's announcement was shared with Piedmont employees attending the Company's
annual Safety Summit being held this year in Greenville, South Carolina. Jane
Lewis-Raymond, Piedmont's general
counsel, chief compliance officer, and corporate secretary
remarked, "How appropriate it is that Piedmont receives this award at this
particular time. Our annual Safety Summit is the natural
culmination of each year's safety effort that combines employee
training and education, monthly safety meetings at all of our
districts and our Corporate Office, and annual reviews of our
safety processes, policies, and procedures. The fact that
this award is the first ever given to a natural gas utility in
South Carolina is a real testament
to our commitment to safety in and out of the workplace."
About Piedmont Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas (NYSE: PNY) is an energy services company
primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to more than
one million residential, commercial and industrial utility
customers in North Carolina,
South Carolina and Tennessee, including 52,000 customers served
by municipalities who are wholesale customers. Our
subsidiaries are invested in joint venture, energy-related
businesses, including unregulated retail natural gas marketing,
interstate natural gas storage and intrastate natural gas
transportation. More information about Piedmont Natural Gas
is available on the internet at http://www.piedmontng.com.
SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas