Setting the Standard for Safety: LADWP Recognized as a CCO Certification Platinum Employer
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has been recognized as a CCO Certification Platinum Employer, the highest distinction awarded by CCO Certification. This recognition highlights LADWP’s long-standing commitment to workforce safety, rigorous training, and the strategic use of CCO Certification, the Gold Standard for certification across the industry. For LADWP’s leadership and training teams, the award is validation of decades of work focused on consistency, accountability, and continuous improvement. According to Oscar Salas, Water Service Manager at LADWP, “The award means quite a bit, because there’s a lot of work that’s been going into it.”
CCO Certification as a Cornerstone of Safety
LADWP has required CCO Certification for more than 20 years, dating back to the early 2000s when certification became mandatory in California. Since then, CCO Certification has become embedded in the department’s safety strategy, not as a one-time requirement, but as a foundation for how work is performed.
“I think it’s a lot of consistency,” explained Scott Carpenter, LADWP’s Power Shovel Operator. “Because when one person out in the field gets trained now, and then a year from now, someone else gets trained and certified, they have the same knowledge. It’s not a smattering of information.”
This shared baseline allows crews to operate with confidence and clarity, reducing miscommunication and risk on complex job sites.
The impact of LADWP’s commitment to ensuring their employees are CCO certified is reflected in its safety record. According to leadership, the department has seen virtually no significant crane accidents since implementing its CCO Certification program. “Our accident record speaks for itself,” Carpenter said. “I have never heard of any significant crane accidents, and knock on wood, we’ll keep it that way.”
Prior to CCO Certification requirements, experience levels varied widely among operators, and qualifications were not always verified. That has changed dramatically. “It’s not just anybody getting on,” Salas explained. “It’s a full-fledged operator who knows what he’s doing, he’s been trained with the equipment, he’s familiar with what he has to do… I think it’s made a big difference in the way we operate.”
Building a Culture of Safety at Scale
As one of the largest public utilities in the country, LADWP recognizes that sustaining a safety culture requires structure, repetition, and investment. Safety training begins on day one, with all new employees completing at least a week of safety-focused onboarding.
Beyond onboarding, LADWP reinforces safety through continuous education. The department maintains a dedicated safety section that conducts monthly training throughout the year, covering everything from fire extinguishers to respirator testing.
“Coupled with what we do as far as CCO Certification is concerned, we also provide ongoing education to keep everybody fresh,” Carpenter noted.
That commitment extends beyond equipment operators. LADWP places a strong emphasis on jobsite roles that directly influence safe lifting operations, like signalpersons. In addition to extensive training, LADWP requires CCO Signalperson Certification before a signalperson can work alongside crane operators. This ensures standardized communication and expectations between operators and ground crews.
A Proactive Approach to Risk
LADWP’s commitment to safety extends beyond meeting training requirements. It’s built around preventing incidents before they happen. By requiring CCO Certification and pairing it with ongoing education, the department creates a consistent, verified baseline of operator knowledge and jobsite communication. Together, these efforts reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries.
That proactive mindset is reinforced through regular safety touchpoints throughout the year, keeping crews sharp on best practices and ensuring safe habits don’t fade over time. With everyone trained to the same Gold Standard, teams are better equipped to identify hazards early, communicate clearly, and make safer decisions under real jobsite conditions.
The combination of certification, repetition, and continuous training is a key reason LADWP has maintained its strong safety record.
Recognition That Reflects Investment
LADWP currently has hundreds of employees certified across crane operator, signal person, and rigger programs, with numbers growing each year. That scale of participation is one of the reasons LADWP has earned their designation of CCO Certification Platinum Employer. “We hired a lot of people over the last few years, and all of them need to be trained and certified,” Carpenter explained. “We just try to stay on top of it so it doesn’t get ahead of us.”
For employees, the CCO Certification Platinum recognition sends a powerful message. “It shows that the department is willing to put that time and money into the employees here,” Salas said. “That tells our team that they care enough to get us trained the right way.”
When asked what advice they would give to organizations considering CCO Certification, LADWP leadership emphasized both practicality and long-term value. “The investment in the employees far outweighs the risk of accidents and injuries out there in the field,” Salas stated. “That investment in the employees definitely helps, not only in the bank account, but also reduces the stress level knowing I’ve got a qualified person out there.”
Consistency, shared knowledge, and standardized training were recurring themes. “If everybody has that training, and they have that common knowledge there, things go a lot smoother,” Salas added.
Leading by Example
LADWP’s CCO Certification Platinum Employer recognition reflects a deeply rooted safety culture built on preparation, accountability, and care for its workforce. By prioritizing nationally accredited CCO Certification and continuous training, LADWP is helping set the standard for safety in the utility sector and beyond.
Through action, not words, the department demonstrates what it truly means to invest in people and protect those who keep critical infrastructure running every day.
Congratulations to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on being recognized as a CCO Certification Platinum Employer. Thank you for raising the bar for safety and being a difference maker in the industry.
