GOLDEN, Colo.—Employees from Western Area Power Administration are sharing in a million-dollar gainsharing award. Individual payouts of up to $817 for all full-year,

full-time employees were made for achieving agency goals for safety, cost cutting and transmission system outages.

Part-year and part-time employees received proportionate payouts. The program, beginning its fifth year at Western, rewards employees for meeting specific goals set by Western's senior management team. For FY 1998, Western's Bonus Program challenged employees to cut accident rates; keep operations and maintenance costs to no more than $135.5 million; and reduce transmission system outages to 49 or fewer.

Employees met all but the injury frequency and severity goals, netting a $1,002,416 payout for 1,287 current and former Federal workers.

"Goals are set to reflect our top priorities," explained Mike Hasckaylo, Western's administrator. "As we meet specific targets, we refine the program and raise the bar a little higher," he added, noting reaching FY 1999 targets will take the combined effort of all employees.

Western's FY 1999 Bonus Program goals call for 16 or fewer recordable injuries, 225 or fewer restricted workdays and eight or fewer recordable vehicle accidents; $ 131 million or less in program costs; and 46 or fewer transmission system outages. Payout for reaching all goals will be $1,200 per employee. The FY 1999 program runs from Aug. 1, 1998 through July 31, 1999.