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Brookfield Power’s
St. Lawrence Operations Celebrates
Another Year Without Lost Time Due To Accidents
POTSDAM, New York (February 28, 2006) –
Brookfield Power reported that its St. Lawrence operations,
in upstate New York, have marked a safety milestone: six consecutive
years without lost work time due to an accident.
“Safety remains paramount for Brookfield Power, and
we’re delighted to be able to start 2006 with the celebration
of another significant safety milestone,” said Tom Smith,
general manager of Brookfield Power’s St. Lawrence operations,
based in Potsdam, New York. “Our proactive safety committee
-- formed in 1993 – helps keep safety in the forefront
of all employees’ minds.”
The committee includes eight employees from maintenance and
operation crews, relay technicians and clerical staff. The
committee is in addition to Brookfield Power’s mandatory
safety training required for each employee.
One objective of the St. Lawrence’s safety committee
is to perform onsite observations twice a month, rotating
supervisory and managerial personnel to give each inspection
fresh perspective. In 2005, employees in the St. Lawrence
operations completed 25 of the safety requests submitted to
the committee.
The committee also conducts monthly group meetings for all
staff members of the St. Lawrence operations, focusing on
topics of interest both on and off the job. Subjects include
winter hazard driving, hunting and boating safety, carbon
monoxide hazards, blood-related diseases, and health and wellness
issues. Each meeting features a different safety theme, presentation
of the safety inspections and videos, as well as healthy snacks
for attendees.
Plans for 2006 call for staff and committee members to receive
training on cardiopulmonary resuscitation methods, the use
of automated external defibrillators, defensive driving techniques,
and issues relating to Occupational Health and Safety Administration
regulations.
Safety Commitment
As further commitment to a safe working environment, Brookfield
Power has doubled the size of its health and safety department
housed in Liverpool, New York. Two additional safety specialists
have been added to Brookfield Power’s New York team.
Both individuals bring more than 20 years experience in executing
training programs and implementing safety management systems.
“Congratulations to the employees of Brookfield Power's
St. Lawrence operations for making safety a daily priority
and taking a leadership role in health and safety. This outstanding
achievement demonstrates the commitment that each employee
has for creating a safe work environment,” said Pat
Salvador, senior safety specialist of Brookfield Power’s
New York operations. “All Brookfield Power employees
in New York will look to the St. Lawrence
operations to share experiences, best practices and lessons
learned as we continue to strive for
safety excellence.”
Brookfield Power owns and operates 30 hydropower plants in
the St. Lawrence region, featuring 55 hydropower turbines,
with a generating capacity of 223 megawatts. The St. Lawrence
hydroelectric generating plants are located on five rivers
throughout central New York, as far south as the Browns Falls
hydropower plant in Oswegatchie, east to the Franklin plant
in Bloomingdale, north to the Hogansburg hydro facility in
Hogansburg, and west to Eel Weir hydropower plant in Ogdensburg.
-- 30 --
About Brookfield Power
Brookfield Power comprises the power generating, transmission,
distribution and marketing operations of Brookfield Asset
Management. Brookfield Power has developed and successfully
operated hydroelectric power facilities, primarily in North
America, for almost 100 years. Brookfield Power’s portfolio
comprises almost 3,500 megawatts of capacity and includes
135 hydroelectric power generating stations located on 48
river systems, 2 co-generation facilities and transmission
and distribution assets, principally in the northeast North
America. (See www.brookfieldpower.com for more details). Brookfield
Asset Management Inc. is an asset manager. Focused on property,
power and infrastructure assets, the company has approximately
US$50 billion of assets under management and is co-listed
on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges under the symbol
BAM. (See www.brookfield.com for more details).
For more information please contact:
Lela R. Katzman
Full Spectrum Communications
Tel: (518) 785-4416
Email: fsclela@nycap.rr.com
Note: This press release may contain "forward-looking
statements”, within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words “transform”,
“believe”, “expect”, “will”,
“potentially”, “anticipate”, “positioned”,
“intend”, “estimate”, and other expressions
which are predictions of or indicate future events, trends
or prospects and which do not relate to historical matters
identify forward-looking statements. Although Brookfield Power
believes that the anticipated future results, performance
or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions
and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance
on forward-looking statements and information because they
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements
of the company to differ materially from anticipated future
results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by
such forward-looking statements and information. Factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contemplated or implied by forward-looking statements include:
general economic conditions; interest; availability of equity
and debt financing; the ability to effectively integrate acquisitions
into existing operations; and other risks and factors described
from time to time in the documents filed by the company with
the securities regulators in Canada and the United States
including in the Non-Offering Prospectus of Brookfield Power
Corporation dated March 16, 2005 and in the Annual Reports
and Form 40-F of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. The company
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.
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