Montoursville, PA – The Wolf Administration today recognized the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Columbia County Maintenance Organization, part of PennDOT’s District 3, for reaching 500 days without a disabling employee injury. A disabling injury is any injury that results in an employee missing one or more days of work. 

The organization reached this significant safety milestone on February 26, 2021, when the county maintenance organization reached 500 days without a disabling employee injury.  PennDOT District 3 includes Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, and Union counties.

“I commend Columbia County on its dedication to a safe work environment that allows employees to return home each day injury free. Workplace safety should be the number one priority for any employer,” Governor Tom Wolf said. 

“PennDOT employees are the department’s greatest resource,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “Columbia County employees have shown their dedication to adhering to safety standards in the workplace through this recent accomplishment.” 

“Adhering to safety standards at the workplace is vital because a workplace injury impacts more than just the injured employee,” said Sandra Tosca, district executive for the department’s Montoursville-based District 3 region. “An injury can disrupt life at home and at work and can create hardships for family members and co-workers.” 

County employees perform a wide range of road and bridge maintenance activities throughout the year. All work is done with a strict adherence to the concepts of safety. 

“The maintenance crews in Columbia County come to work each day and focus on safety, responsibility and accountability in each job they undertake,” said Columbia County Maintenance Manager Mike McWilliams. “I am proud to be a part of this team and the 24/7 safety culture that we have incorporated into our daily duties.”

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Tioga, Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour and Columbia counties at www.penndot.gov/District3. 

Information about infrastructure in District 3 including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.gov/D3Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov. 

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Maggie Baker, 570-368-4202 or magbaker@pa.gov.  

###