During the iP Utility Safety Conference & Expo held this November in Costa Mesa, Calif., representatives from the Utility Safety & Ops Leadership Network presented the 2014 John McRae Safety Leadership Award to John Price, CUSP, of ENMAX Power Corp.

The John McRae Safety Leadership Award was created to honor John McRae, a fourth-generation lineman who enjoyed an inspiring 42-year career before passing away on July 27, 2010. He was active in the military reserves for nearly 30 years and instrumental in establishing the Massachusetts Municipal Lineman’s Association. McRae, a member of San Diego’s IBEW Local 465, spoke across the country about electrical training and went on to assist in the launch of Incident Prevention magazine.

“John Price is a strong safety leader much like John McRae,” said Housh of the decision to present Price with the award. “He joined the USOLN in 2012 and has been a Certified Utility Safety Professional since passing the exam in 2013. In the last year there has been a strong interest in building a Canadian version of the CUSP program, and John is working with other Canadian utility safety professionals to develop a path to make that happen. John is a true professional and has dedicated untold hours toward this goal.”

Price has been in the electric industry since 1997, began his power-line technician apprenticeship in 1999 and became a journeyman in 2003. Starting in 2004 he spent eight years in the fire department in Calgary, including four years in emergency management and health and safety. During that time Price also worked as a contractor for electrical installers in and around Calgary. He joined ENMAX Power Corp. in 2011 as a safety specialist, served as a field services safety supervisor in 2012, and now acts as the organization’s manager of safety, work methods and quality management.

“I have a passion for safety and a sincere desire to do what I can to benefit the health and safety of all workers,” Price said after receiving his award. “It’s easy to say that we care about the health and safety of workers, but putting actions to words has been my goal. As a group, the USOLN is working to align safe work practices and methods across the North American utility industry to ensure that every worker goes home the same way they came to work.”

Price has been married for 21 years and has two children, Liv, who is 16, and Payton, who is 14. He’s earned a number of certifications and holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Calgary.