In Focus
Keeping Our Workforce Protected: LADWP’s Second Annual Safety Week
By Marina Quinonez
LADWP is committed to fostering a strong safety culture—one that ensures all employees can perform their work while also returning home safely at the end of the day. To uphold this value, LADWP strives to equip employees with the tools, resources, and information needed to practice safe work habits, while also encouraging open communication about what is working and what needs improvement.
To coincide with National Safety Month, held each June, LADWP hosted our second annual Safety Week. Read on to learn more about three important safety initiatives that were highlighted throughout Safety Week. These efforts were also showcased at the June Employee Town Hall.
Safety Week: Awareness, Action and Commitment
Corporate Health and Safety brought back Safety Week for a second year in June. From June 22 to 26, LADWP employees participated in virtual and in-person safety-focused activities. These exercises were developed to help employees refresh their understanding of safety policies and procedures, strengthen their knowledge of safe work practices, and provide an opportunity for feedback to support the continued enhancement of LADWP’s safety culture.
Employee participation during Safety Week was strong. Throughout the week, 2,449 employees took the Safety Pledge, demonstrating their commitment to deepening their proficiency in workplace safety. Almost 9,300 team members engaged in virtual activities, including Daily Challenges, “Did You Know?” facts and resources, a photo contest, and safety topic spotlights. An additional 2,541 employees participated in in‑person daily activities.
New to this year’s lineup was the Safety Stand-Up, a 10-12 minute, supervisor‑led activity designed to strengthen safety awareness and reinforce shared responsibility. This interactive session provided managers with a structured opportunity to walk their teams through prevention and protection measures. For employees, it offered a space to voice observations and share input on the real‑world hazards they encounter in their daily work.
Amidst these activities, employees took the time to remember fallen colleagues Brian Blaney, Jimmy Buchanan, Leonard Godsave, Wynton Davis, and Henry Ramirez by reading up on their stories through written “In Memoriam” pieces.
“Safety Week is about recognizing the progress we all have made together. It’s also about recommitting to the habits and decisions that have collectively improved our safety performance. We have been improving our safety performance year over year, and that’s just through the diligence, the reporting, and genuine care that everyone has at this Department. It's a direct result of thousands of decisions that are made at every reporting location, at our plants and field locations, in our offices, which all impact our overall safety culture”
Dan Aeschleman, Chief Safety Officer
Active participants in Safety Week activities were entered into daily raffle drawings as a token of appreciation for their engagement. Three divisions stood out for their outstanding participation and were honored with a certificate of achievement: Water Resources, leading at 65% of their workforce; Strategy & Sustainability, reaching 59%; and Advanced Technology Infrastructure, achieving 54% engagement.
In the photo contest titled, “Caught in the Act of Safety,” Labor Supervisor Marin Parra earned first place, Water Treatment Supervisor Farid Khan took second place, and Electrical Repair Supervisor Joseph Aparicio placed third. Click on each photo below to view their creative approaches to showcasing proper safety.
1st Place: Marin Parra
2nd Place: Farid Khan
3rd Place: Joseph Aparicio
Among those recognized during Safety Week were five impressive Safety Champions, selected from a staggering 122 nominations. Chosen by their peers, these individuals embody exceptional safety practices and dedication. Click on each photo below to learn more about what sets these Champions apart as true safety leaders. They will also be honored at the upcoming August Employee Town Hall.
Ivan Romero
Brad Weller
Natalie Roun
Neptali Dominguez
Travon Williams
Safety Perception Survey: Your Voice Matters
Also during Safety Week, LADWP launched the 2026 Safety Perception Survey, in partnership with IBEW Local 18 and the Joint Safety and Training Institute (JSTI). This anonymous survey is conducted every three to five years to better understand how employees experience safety in the workplace and where LADWP can improve.
From the last survey, conducted in 2022 and supported by more than 6,000 employee responses, it was determined that LADWP is within the “Dependent” stage on the Bradley Curve. The Bradley Curve illustrates the statistical relationship between an organization’s safety culture and its injury rates. Being in the “Dependent” stage indicates that LADWP’s approach to safety and consistent decline in injury rates over the years is driven primarily by adherence to rules and regulations.
While injury rates have steadily declined, the 2022 results highlighted the need for greater employee involvement, strengthened accountability, improved controls for high‑hazard work, increased recognition of positive safety contributions, and a reinforced belief that injuries are preventable. In response, JSTI and Corporate Health and Safety implemented several Department-wide initiatives, including:
- Worker Safety Group Tours
- High Energy Control Assessment (HECA) Pilot
- Incident Alert System
- Mental Health First Aid Training
- Intelex Safety Management Platform
- Annual Safety Week
In addition to these initiatives, divisions and organizations across LADWP adopted safety improvements tailored to their unique operations and hazards. The 2026 survey will determine whether these combined efforts have helped nudge LADWP toward the “Independent” and “Interdependent” stages on the Bradley Curve — where safety is driven by personal ownership, shared responsibility, and a commitment to protecting one another.
“The Safety Perception Survey provides a light post for leadership to understand employees’ safety experiences across our company. It helps reveal the difference between how management thinks safety is going and how safety is really experienced, by you, on the job.” Marc Hendon, Risk Manager, Corporate Health & Safety
Over 1,550 employees took the survey during its opening week. However, increased participation is essential to more accurately assess the state of safety at LADWP. Employees are encouraged to share their feedback by completing the survey before it closes on August 14. The leaderboard showing responses for each system and the leading divisions can be viewed on MyDWP.
The results of the survey will be reviewed at a Labor and Management Safety Summit in early 2027, where leaders and employee representatives will identify priorities and develop action plans. Following the summit, a summary of the results and next steps will be shared with all employees.
Tracking Incidents Through Intelex
One initiative that was a direct result of the 2022 Safety Perception Survey, and that will enhance LADWP’s safety tracking well beyond 2026, is the implementation of Intelex. Intelex is a centralized safety software system that manages safety protocols across the Department.
Intelex is currently used for Incident Management, which helps standardize reporting for injuries, illnesses, and vehicle/property damage, as well as Good Catch and Near Misses, which support proactive hazard spotting to prevent future incidents. Additionally, the Inspections & Audits module uses built‑in checklists and audit tools to make safety reviews more effective. Further integrations are currently being worked on to bolster the Department’s safety management.
These modules support LADWP’s safety culture by boosting reporting, streamlining environmental health and safety workflows, ensuring compliance and stronger safety performance, and integrating data across divisions to enable comprehensive safety coordination.
Intelex is accessible through the MyID page and on mobile devices.
Commitment to Workplace Safety
National Safety Month and Safety Week 2026 served as a reminder that a safe workplace is not just an individual responsibility; it’s a collective effort. When employees report hazards and follow safe work practices, they not only protect themselves from serious injuries or potential fatalities, but also safeguard their colleagues and the communities they serve.
For questions about safety resources, employees can contact Corporate Health and Safety at CorpSafety@ladwp.com.
