WASHINGTON, D.C., March 25, 2013 - Homestead Energy Services has earned the American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2012. The utility earned the first place award in the category for utilities with 60,000 – 109,999 worker-hours of annual worker exposure. Bob Rumbaugh, chair of the APPA Safety Committee and energy services consultant, American Municipal Power, Inc., in Columbus, Ohio, presented the award on March 25, during the association’s annual Engineering & Operations Technical Conference, held in Kissimmee, Fla.
“Keeping utility staff and customers safe should be every utility’s top priority,” said Rumbaugh. “The utilities honored today have demonstrated serious commitment to this essential aspect of electric service.”
More than 280 utilities entered the annual contest, which is the highest number of entrants in the contest’s history. Entrants were placed in categories according to their number of worker hours and judged for the most incident-free records during 2012. The incidence rate, used to judge contest entries, is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2012, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“At Homestead Energy Services, we are proud of our safety record,” said Barbara Quinones, Director of Homestead Energy Services. “We have a staff of top-class professionals who strive to ensure safe operations in every facet of their work.”
The Safety Awards have been held annually for the last 53 years. APPA is the national organization representing more than 2,000 not-for-profit, community- and state- owned electric utilities.