JUNO BEACH, Fla. – During National Safety Month, Florida Power & Light Company is making available a new power line safety poster to help businesses, laborers and the public stay safe while landscaping and doing other work outside homes and businesses. The poster is available to download in English, Spanish and Creole at the company’s website page devoted to power line safety, www.FPL.com/safety.
“Safety is a priority for FPL and our employees, and we want our customers to also stay safe,” said Red Dunn, FPL Transmission & Substation manager of safety and training. “People need to be aware and avoid power lines at all times, whether they be overhead or underground, especially when trimming trees, digging or doing any work around their homes and businesses.”
FPL launched a Safety 6 program more than 10 years ago to alert businesses and their employees about the dangers of working near power lines. The program features six key safety rules to follow when working around power lines and includes U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations listing minimum safe approach distances from power lines for workers and equipment. Safety 6 is part of FPL’s numerous safety initiatives under its Zero Today! program, which demonstrates the company’s commitment to reducing occupational and non-occupational injuries.
FPL worked with El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center, a day-labor center in Jupiter, Fla., that provides skilled workers to employers, to create the poster and educate its workers about power line safety.
“This poster will help our English and non-English speaking day laborers easily identify the hazards of working in proximity to power lines,” El Sol Associate Director Dora B. Valdivia said. “We appreciate FPL working with us to provide this tool to help keep our workers safe throughout the year.”
Each June, the National Safety Council encourages organizations to participate in National Safety Month, an annual observance to educate and influence behaviors around leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves the third-largest number of customers of any electric utility in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees as of year-end 2012. During the five-year period ended December 31, 2012, the company delivered the best service reliability among Florida investor-owned utilities. As of year-end 2012, its typical residential customer bills are the lowest in Florida, and based on data available in July 2012, are about 26 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.