Since 2002, Suncor has recognized employees and contractors for exceptional achievements in the workplace. The President's Operational Excellence Awards are held annually in the spring and highlight employees and contractors who demonstrated significant results in the past year in safety, the environment, and health and wellness.

The 29 recipients at the March 17, 2009 event were chosen by a panel of Suncor judges from a field of nearly 130 nominees. They demonstrated ways of operating more efficiently or cost-effectively and/or how to come up with creative solutions to problems.

Whether it was commissioning and starting up large and complex projects in adverse weather conditions with zero recordable injuries, or logging more than 125,000 kilometres without a safety incident or traffic violation, Suncor's employees and contractors affirmed their commitment to excellence in the workplace.

The program's two top awards recognize world-class safety performance by Suncor employees and contractors. The employee award went to Suncor's oil sands extraction group, which further improved its safety performance by engaging employees and increasing their commitment to safety. The contractor award went to Ledcor Projects Inc., which elevated their commitment to safety at Suncor's oil sands facility by developing a comprehensive training and orientation program for new workers.