Umatilla Electric Cooperative (UEC) is proud to announce that Jake Royer, UEC journeyman meterman for nearly 29 years, was awarded the 2025 Safety Heroism Award by the Northwest Public Power Association (NWPPA) for his life saving actions while on duty in February 2024. The awards were presented at the Association’s Engineering & Operations Conference in Spokane, Wash. on April 17. Jake is a valued member of the UEC team and was previously awarded Employee of the Quarter in March 2024 for his actions
In addition to the recognition for Royer, UEC was also awarded a first-place award in NWPPA’s Safety Contest between participating utilities. These awards are presented to utilities based on the lowest total injury and illness (incident) rate for the preceding year (2024). Awards are given to utilities within the category of total employee hours reported.
By the end of 2024, the UEC team had worked over 690,000 hours without a lost-time incident, over three years without any injuries.
"I am incredibly proud of the UEC team for their daily commitment to safety," said Kevin Knutz, Manager of Operations. "This achievement reflects the dedication of every employee who makes safety—both for themselves and others—a priority each and every day."