Flint Creek Power Plant honored with safety award
GENTRY — Three million work hours without a workrelated accident or illness causing a lost day on the job is quite an accomplishment, and no employees at the Flint Creek Power Plant in Gentry have missed a day of work as a result of such an accident or illness for more than 20 years — since 1996. As a result, the plant and the plant’s employees were honored on Feb. 21 with a special award and with a special steak dinner.
U.S. Congressman Steve Womack was on hand for the honors and spoke briefly about the legislative difficulties in Washington, D.C., but then commended the power plant and its employees for their safety record and hard work and thanked them for allowing him to be a part of their special day.
Ralph Hudson, deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Labor, told the power plant’s employees that Flint Creek Power Plant is one of only 75 companies in the state to have ever achieved 3 million man hours of safety and earn the special award. He said there are approximately 72,000 businesses in the state. He said statistics indicate that workers most likely to have accidents are new hires and those who have been longtime employees, indicating inexperience and complacency are causes of lost time accidents. He urged employees to follow safety procedures every time and not take shortcuts so that the plant can continue its record of safety and so that employees can return home safely to their families and communities each day.
Pat Hart, director of the Health and Safety Division of the State of Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission, joined in the praise for plant employees and urged them to continue following safety procedures.
Womack joined Hudson and Hart in presenting an award plaque to Carl Handley, plant manager of the Flint Creek Power Plant, and Dianna Tomlinson, the plant’s industrial hygiene coordinator, for the plant’s achievement.