WOLF CREEK — OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program has re-certified the Holter Dam as a "Star" worksite which recognizes workplaces that go above and beyond to keep employees safe.
The Holter Dam was built back in 1918 and has helped power communities around it since.
For as long as it's been standing, Holter Dam employees have always put safety first, from hands-on staff, all the way to the executives.
"It's just a testament to the culture that is in our hydro system and specifically the dams that have received this acknowledgment that it comes from the people who work at these facilities. We have four individuals staffed here at the dam and they have committed to have an extremely safe culture, and OSHA is recognizing it, which is great for them," said John Hines, Vice President of Supply at NorthWestern Energy.
This is the third time in a row Holter Dam has been recognized as a Star worksite by the Voluntary Protection Program — better known as the VP Program. They're a role model for workplace safety.
"When you talk about that and we talk about our vision and our mission within NorthWestern Energy, safety is right at the top. And what that does and what our ultimate goal is day to day, is to send our workers home just the way they came to work, which is happy and healthy and safe," said NorthWestern Energy Safety and Technical Training Manager Chris Magnuson.
OSHA representative, Jim Messer, says reaching a 'Star level' work site is just the first step, and it takes work to hold on to that designation. The Holter Dam has held recognition for 10 years.
"When they achieve the star status, they're being recognized as the best of the best when it comes to safety. So as an accomplishment for a group like this, they are a smaller crew and they do manage a large facility and they have a lot of work that goes into that," said Magnuson.
Out of the 74 VP Program sites in OSHA's Region VIII, there are 10 in Montana, and four of those are NorthWestern Energy hydroelectric facilities.
