Homestead Public Services has received a Safety Award from the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) for its continued commitment to safe work practices during the past year.
For the past 28 years, FMEA has recognized the efforts of Florida’s public power utilities to stress worker safety as the No. 1 priority. Utilities are placed into categories according to their total man-hours worked, and rewarded for the most incident-free records. The incidence rate used to judget utilities was based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses compared to the total number of worker-hours during 2015, as defined by the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Homestead was awarded first place in category B, which is comprised of utilities with 60,000 to 199,999 man-hours worked. Their recognition reflects Homestead’s commitment to protecting workers’ safety, while also ensuring reliable electric service to the customers. In an industry where serious injuries and fatalities are inherent, safety training is the best line of defense in preventing accidents and saving lives.
Awards were presented on March 12 at the FMEA Annual Safety and Florida Lineman Competition Awards banquet in Orlando. The banquet was the culmination of a two-day event that included technical skills training and the annual Florida Lineman Competition.
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) represents the unified interests of 34 public power communities across the state, which provide electricity to more than 3 million of Florida’s residential and business consumers.
