Tampa Electric officials are working with officials to investigate the circumstances of Thursday’s incident at the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach.
Just after 4 p.m. Thursday, an industrial accident at Big Bend Unit 2 killed one employee and one contractor, and sent four other contractors to a local hospital. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is on-site today.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the families of everyone who was touched by this incident,” said Gordon Gillette, president and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric. “Safety is the No. 1 priority at Tampa Electric, and we are working hard to determine exactly what happened and why. We will be conducting a complex investigation to determine the root cause.”
Tampa Electric expects the investigation to take several weeks – and possibly months. Therefore, the company will not be able to provide additional information until further notice.
Tampa Electric , one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves about 730,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
