Southern Company awarded for employee safety competition

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Jul 08, 2016, 12:00 ET

ATLANTA, July 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company has earned the 2016 Industry Excellence Award for Safety from the Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE) for the company's "SO Safe" employee competition – a collaborative internal effort that generated more than 900 ideas to improve safety for the company and industry. SEE, an association of investor-owned electric utility companies, recognized Southern Company at an awards ceremony Wednesday, June 29 in New Orleans.

"The SO Safe competition was a natural extension of our company's commitment to ensuring the safety and health of all our employees," said Southern Company Chief Operating Officer Kimberly S. Greene. "Our employees together generated hundreds of innovative ideas to improve the most important part of our business – keeping the hard-working men and women of Southern Company safe."

SO Safe was launched in 2015 as an internal competition challenging employees to critically assess Southern Company's safety performance. The competition was designed to bolster the company's long-standing commitment to a culture of safety by institutionalizing an inventive spirit and encouraging collaboration across the enterprise.

Every employee across the system was invited to vote and provide rigorous feedback on the more than 900 ideas submitted, which culminated in six winners. The winning ideas are now moving to pilot stage for further development and possible implementation.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America's premier energy company, with 44,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput volume serving 9 million electric and gas utility customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric utilities in four states, natural gas distribution utilities in seven states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices that are below the national average. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing America's energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit of customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among the top utilities in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

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