PowerSouth’s T&D engineering and construction department achieved a year with no lost-time accidents on Nov. 6, 2008, working approximately 58,700 safe hours during the year.

This makes eight consecutive safe working years — or nearly 471,000 safe working hours — since their last lost-time injury.

“Reaching one year without a lost-time accident is certainly a wonderful accomplishment,” said Gary Smith, PowerSouth president and CEO. “But having worked eight years without a lost-time accident is a great milestone.”

Sammy Hogg, T&D engineering and construction manager, said the management staff of PowerSouth provides all of the tools and training required to reach such milestones.

“We appreciate your dedication to being safe on and off the job,” Smith said. “Our safety program is all about you. It’s our responsibility to provide you with the tools, but the program is successful because of your personal dedication to safety — for yourself and your co-workers.”

“To my fellow co-workers, thank you for the way you go about doing your work in a safe manner,” Hogg said. “Safety is, and should always be, on our minds both at work and at home.”

PowerSouth, as a whole, has maintained an excellent safety record over the last 36 months. In fact, its accident incident rate of 2.04 is considerably lower than the national average of 2.36.

“At PowerSouth, safety is our number one core value,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, we want our employees to return home to their families in the same condition in which they left for work. Management will continue to do all we can to provide the training and incentives needed to promote a safe work environment.