FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – Orange County Water District (OCWD) reported today an impressive accomplishment – no "Lost-Time Injuries" in the last 670 days, or nearly 2 years. Lost-Time Injuries are employees taking leave of absence from work due to on-the-job injuries.

"This is a direct result of a team effort between all employees, their supervisors, and the Safety Department," said William R. Mills Jr., general manager at OCWD. "More importantly, this means OCWD employees are working smarter, are in better health, and are making safety a job priority."

With zero lost-time injuries, OCWD is able to maintain better ratings for worker’s compensation insurance and continue a good reporting record with California OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). OCWD’s Safety Department is helping to maintain a nearly risk-free environment through an ongoing safety and risk management program for the employees. This is a notable accomplishment in an organization of nearly 200 employees with job diversity ranging from working with chemicals in the water quality laboratory to operating heavy machinery, such as bulldozers, to create levees in the Santa Ana Riverbed.

OCWD is a special agency created by the California Legislature to maintain and manage the groundwater basin under the northern and central areas of Orange County. The OCWD supplies 75 percent of the water needs to more than 2.7 million residents and businesses in Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, most of Irvine, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster and Yorba Linda.