Safety Coins have a Special Connection to the Employee who Designed Them

For many years, Executive Vice President Dave Vogel has handed out special coins to Louisville Water employees as a symbol of the company’s continuous focus on safety.

The design on the coins has changed a few times over the years. The most recent version, which Vogel began handing out last week, includes this message: “The keys to safety are in your hands.” It’s a phrase with a special connection to the employee who created the design.

Carrie Pernini, Metering Services Field Specialist, who was part of the safety coin ideas team, said the team members “wanted to focus on hands since we had a few hand injuries within the last few years.”

But there was an additional reason she liked the idea.

“My passion for safety started as a kid when my dad sustained an on-the-job injury to his hand,” she said. “His fingers had to be reconstructed by Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center. It impacted our family greatly. His motto became ‘check twice for safety.’ That always stuck with me.”

She put together several design ideas in Microsoft Word, and the team chose the “keys” message as the most effective.

“I lost my father to cancer this past August,” Pernini added. “I know he would be very proud of my continued efforts to focus on safety.”

As he handed out the new coins, Vogel told employees they were an easy-to-carry reminder that Louisville Water is always “keeping safety at the forefront of what we do.”

He also encouraged employees to help spread the message by giving their coin to someone else. When you do, he said, “we will give you more.”