City of Newberry Receives FMEA Safety Award

The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) recognized 19 of its public power members, including the City of Newberry, for their commitment to safety.

Florida lineworkers and power crews risk receiving serious or fatal injuries while providing affordable and reliable power. For this reason, public power communities across the state emphasize the importance of safety training and daily safe work practices.

FMEA recognizes and rewards safe operations through its annual Safety Awards. Utilities are placed into categories based on their total man-hours worked and rewarded for the most incident-free records. The incidence rate used to judge utilities was based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses compared to the total number of worker-hours during 2019, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The City of Newberry was recognized for a perfect record with no reported accidents on the job in category A, which is comprised of utilities with up to 59,999 man-hours worked. This recognition reflects the City of Newberry’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.

“Working in this industry involves risks, and we value a focus on safety and safety training above all else. We applaud our member communities for their dedication to safety excellence,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director.

Florida’s public power utilities are locally owned, locally controlled and locally operated enabling them to quickly respond to the needs of their communities. They are also among some of the most affordable and reliable power providers in the state.

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About FMEA: The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) represents the unified interests of 33 public power communities across the state, which provide electricity to more than 3 million of Florida’s residential and business consumers.