POWERGRAMS

PROFILE Long-time Safety and Health employee named region Professional of the Year H ave a question about safety? Call Steve Willis. With 28 years in Alabama Power's Safety and Health department, Willis has become a subject matter expert, answering questions and providing information to comrades both inside and outside the company. "Steve is a great resource for our department as well as Alabama Power and Southern Company in terms of safety and regulatory issues," said Alabama Power Corporate Safety and Health Manager Charlie Shaw. "He has been part of our organization for many years. He has quite a bit of knowledge and can share a lot of insight, which is important when it comes to making decisions about safety and health issues." Willis was selected 2013 Safety Professional of the Year by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Region IV for his contributions to the organization and industry. Founded in 1911, ASSE promotes the expertise, leadership and commitment of its members, while providing professional development, advocacy and standards development. The award was presented at the Professional Development Conference in Birmingham. A 35-year member of ASSE, Willis has held various leadership roles at the local and regional levels. The Alabama Power Safety and Health regulatory principal is treasurer of ASSE Region IV, which includes Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico. For the past four years, he served as area director of the AlabamaMississippi Region, where he was responsible for guiding six ASSE chapters. "After looking at the nominees, the body of work that Steve has done in safety and occupational health made him the clear winner of this year's award," said Pam Perrich, Region IV vice president. "In the years that I have worked with him, Steve has always been my go-to person and a trusted and valued asset. He is one of those quiet people who doesn't speak often. But when he does, he always has something vitally important to say." Willis said he is grateful to be recognized by his peers. "There are some incredible people in our region. Knowing what they have done and the contributions they have made, I am thrilled and pleasantly surprised to receive the award," Willis said. Perrich is not the only one who thinks of Willis as a "go-to" person. As a regulatory principal since 2010, he provides assistance to the compliance specialists at Alabama Power and Southern Company in safety and health compliance and training, and helps interpret standards the company must meet. He also administers the company Safety and Health website. Willis is working on a systemwide committee charged with developing a plan to ensure the company is in compliance with two revised standards soon to be released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The standards will affect transmission and distribution line construction, and transmission, distribution and generation maintenance. "A lot of what I do is answer questions," Willis said. "If someone has a question about what a particular OSHA standard means, for instance, I help them interpret it." Willis' first experience in the safety arena was long before he joined Alabama Power. Soon after graduating from Auburn University with a degree in industrial engineering, he was hired by Liberty Mutual in 1971 as a loss prevention representative. In 1983, Willis joined Alabama Power as a fire protection specialist in the Tax and Insurance group. Two years later, he became a safety engineer in Safety and Health. Willis represents Alabama Power on the ASTM (formerly American Society of Testing Willis, left, receives award from Perrich. and Materials) F18 Committee on electrical protective equipment. He serves on the Edison Electric Institute's Safety and Health Committee and is a member of the National Fire Protection Association. "Steve is one of those guys who is a very strong advocate for the safety profession and has been in the business a long time," said Bob Fitzgerald, Southern Company Construction Safety and Health manager and president of the Alabama chapter of ASSE. "We nominated him for this award due to his support of the chapter, the region and the profession. He's truly passionate about safety and cares about people. That's what really matters." By Carla Davis PAGE 7

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