David Burley, KPUB Supervisor of Safety & Training (left), and Larry Lee, KPUB Director of Operations (right), are pictured with the American Public Power Association’s 2024 Safety Award of Excellence.
April 2, 2025— Kerrville Public Utility Board (KPUB) has received the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) prestigious Safety Award of Excellence for its outstanding safety performance in 2024. KPUB earned the Diamond Award, the highest level of recognition in its utility category, for demonstrating an exceptional commitment to safe operations.
This marks the sixth time in the last seven years that KPUB has been recognized with this national safety honor—reflecting the utility’s consistent, long-term dedication to maintaining a strong safety culture while delivering reliable, low-cost electric service to the community.
“Safety is more than a priority at KPUB—it’s a core value that drives everything we do,” said Mike Wittler, KPUB General Manager & CEO. “I’m incredibly proud of our entire team. This award isn’t just about having low incident rates—it’s about the consistent daily efforts of our employees who look out for one another and our community.”
Wittler added, “Recognition from our peers in the public power industry reaffirms that our commitment to safety is leading by example—and that we’re doing the right things to protect both our employees and our customers.”
More than 200 utilities entered the annual Safety Awards for 2024. The entrants are placed in accordance with their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs and culture during 2024. The incidence rate is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2024, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Harnessing electricity to keep our communities powered is vital work that can be dangerous, even deadly, if the proper attention isn’t paid to tried-and-true safety practices,” said Jon Beasley, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Vice-President of Electric Cities of GA. “This award honors utilities that hold fast to these practices and-in doing so–put the safety of their personnel and their customers above all else.”
APPA has conducted the Safety Awards annually for over 66 years. APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.
