Veolia VP Named Keller Safety Professional of the Year
J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. of Neenah, Wis., honored Dan Ryan, vice president of Environmental Health, Safety and Security at Veolia Water North America, as the 2007 KellerOnline® Safety Professional of the Year.
The annual award, initiated in 2002, is sponsored by KellerOnline. The award program recognizes three individuals each year for their accomplishments in the safety industry and winners are chosen from a field of more than 100 applicants.
Ryan received first place for creating a safety culture that is unsurpassed in the water and wastewater industry. Veolia Water North America posted its best employee safety statistics for a calendar year in 2006, and in 2007, had an even better year with a recordable incidence rate of 3.8 and a lost time incidence rate of 0.9. The Bureau of Labor Statistics average for private-industry water, wastewater and other systems is 5.2 and 1.6 respectively.
Ryan said that the 2005 arrival of Joseph Burgess, president and chief executive officer, brought a renewed focus on safety and his leadership has been a critical aspect of the organization's success. "He not only knew the impact that safety could have on our organization, but he was passionate about it. He did more than talk about safety, he made people accountable for working safely," said Ryan.
"Although we have an Environmental Health, Safety and Security staff of 14, we truly believe that we have 2,700 employees with a full-time responsibility for safety and compliance. It is because of our employees’ awareness and dedication to safety that we have been able to be so successful in our efforts," Ryan said.
Ryan received a $2,500 cash award, along with a plaque, certificate, and one year's use of KellerOnline for his department.