2000 Corporate Safety Award Winner Profiles

ABS Global, Inc., Deforest

Category 3D - All Others

Headquartered in DeForest, Wisconsin, ABS Global, Inc. is the world-leading provider of bovine reproduction services, technologies and uddercare products. ABS has been at the forefront of animal genetics and technology since founded in 1941. Employing 200 people in its U.S. operations, today the company markets it products in more than 70 countries.

Over 50 percent of the employees work in an office or sales environment, while the other half work in production, and distribution. It is the policy of ABS Global to make a continuous effort to reduce accidents and to maintain the good health of all employees by supporting an effective health and safety program.

Safety is the joint responsibility of the company and its employees. All employees are expected to comply fully with all safety rules and regulations and to report unsafe conditions. The company provides full instructions covering safe working methods and special equipment to protect its employees against hazards.

In December, ABS completed a new barn to house its bulls. Because of the company's consideration for safety, the University of Wisconsin and OSHA toured ABS headquarters to learn about the company's latest safety standards and protocols.

The company conducts annual safety inspections in all of its facilities to help identify hazards and has implemented a Business Emergency Resumption Plan to protect the lives, property, and other assets of the corporation.

The ABS Health and Safety Committee holds an annual luncheon to celebrate the year's safety success. The committee also honors employees that have contributed the most to the safety and well being of all employees.

Because safety and health have always been interwoven in the day-to-day operations of ABS Global, it has successfully maintained a below average mod rate within their industry.

Contact: Lori Ballweg, Health and Safety Coordinator, (608) 846-6231

Agracetus Campus, Monsanto Company, Middleton

Category 2D - All Others

The Agracetus Campus-Monsanto Company, is a plant biotechnology research and development facility that employs 80 people. The primary focus of Agracetus' research is to develop genetically improved crops, including soybeans, corn and cotton. To accomplish its research goals, most of the work is done in laboratory and greenhouse environments. As a result, the primary hazards associated with this work are related to laboratory research.

One of the primary strengths of the Agracetus safety and health program is the extensive employee participation in safety and health activities. Over 45 percent of the company's employees participate on safety committees and teams. The company maintains six permanent safety committees including general safety, biosafety, ergonomics, wellness, contractor safety and an ad-hoc committee.

All employees receive training on environmental health and safety programs relevant to their jobs and all new employees participate in a safety orientation. The company hosts environmental and ergonomics fairs and in addition to coordinating activities for a safety/wellness week. As a way to generate new ideas, and keep safety on the forefront, each year, employees are required to report at least one safety goal in a personal development plan.

The Agracetus near miss program is also a program that the organization is most proud of. Over the past two years, employees have submitted almost 150 near miss reports. As a result the company has implemented corrective actions from these reports and eliminated potentially hazardous situations.

The company is most proud of the safety culture it has developed the last few years. Last year, employees completed a survey administered by the National Safety Council. The result-Agracetus received the highest overall score ever recorded by the National Safety Council for the Safety Barometer safety culture survey, confirming the success of the company's safety program.

As another measure of success, Agracetus submitted a Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) application, with a goal of achieving "Star" certification in 2002.

Contact: Richard Senn, Environmental, Health and Safety Manager, (608) 821-3404

Aldag/Honold Mechanical, Inc., Sheboygan

Category 2C - Construction

Aldag/Honold Mechanical, Inc. is a multi-trade contracting firm that installs heating, ventilation, air conditioning systems. The company also does plumbing contract and service work. Employing 110 workers, the company performs the majority of its work in east central Wisconsin, in addition to Washington, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

With the safety and health of its employees as a primary goal, the prevention of injuries is given precedence over productivity. Weekly toolbox safety talks take place at each job site and the sheet metal shop. Pre-construction job meetings are held with the general contractor, job site owner, architect and other sub-contractors to discuss potential hazards that may exist at a job site. Once identified, proper training and safety equipment are implemented as well as establishment of emergency procedures.

Prompt and thorough investigations of every accident, as well as near misses are conducted to determine the cause and prevent reoccurrence. Each employee is responsible for practicing safe work habits and participating in safety training.

Bi-monthly safety committee meetings include a review and discussion of past injuries and medical cases. An annual injury review with injury analysis is performed with management, insurance loss control personnel and the safety committee.

The company's safety incentive program, Work Safe-Earn Your Wardrobe, rewards employees for safe work practices. Points are awarded for achieving stated lengths of time without lost time injuries or safety violations.

The company had an 80 percent voluntary and unpaid attendance at its OSHA 10 Construction Safety Certification Training. Its safety initiatives have paid off-since 1997, the company's worker experience modifier rate has consistently decreased.

Contact: Tom Filz, Safety Coordinator, (920) 458-5558

Alliant Energy/Wisconsin Power & Light, Madison

Category 4B - Agricultural, Forestry, Transportation, Mining & Utilities

Alliant Energy completed its three-way merger in April 1998. Through its operating units, Wisconsin Power and Light Co., IES Utilities Inc. and Interstate Power Co., Alliant Energy serves more than one million electric and natural gas customers in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. Alliant Energy-Wisconsin Power and Light Co., (Alliant Energy/WP&L) provides electric energy to over 385,000 customers and natural gas to 150,000 customers throughout south central Wisconsin, a service territory that spans approximately one-third of the state.

Alliant Energy-WP&L employs more than 2,300 people around the state and over half of the company's employees have worked at Alliant Energy-WP&L for more than 15 years. The company is committed to protecting the safety and health of its employees, contractors and the individuals who live in the communities in which the business operates.

Recognizing its employees are its most valuable asset, the company is constantly improving its safety processes by identifying and correcting hazards and finding safer methods for work performance. The company's safety program requires that safety be considered when planning for jobs and tasks. Employees are expected to participate in a pre-job briefing, which outlines each step of the job. Employees are required to know the requirements of safely performing tasks and have the authority to immediately stop work that poses a hazard.

This year, the company implemented an emergency reporting link on its Intranet site for all accident and injury reporting needs. The company analyzes injury and illness data as a means to identify accident causes and trends. As a result, in 2000, the company instituted a program entitled "Stretching for Safety," which requires all physical workers to stretch for 5-10 minutes prior to starting a work shift.

Alliant Energy-WP&L continues to boast a public safety program. The company has developed and implemented a safety campaign using displays to help educate communities about safety issues involving potential electric and natural gas hazards. In 2000, the company made 465 public safety presentations to over 47,600 people. This year the company also produced a safety video entitled, "Words of Wisdom," featuring four Alliant Energy employees injured on the job. A powerful motivator, the video is used as a means to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.

The company has been a recipient of the Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award winner since 1996. Seventy Alliant Energy locations across the company worked all of 2000 without a lost time injury.

Contact: Mark Hawley, Health and Safety Manager, (608) 252-5795

The CompanyStoreDistributionCenter, La Crosse

Category 2B - Agricultural, Forestry, Transportation, Mining & Utilities

The Company Store, a subsidiary of Hanover Direct Inc., is a leading upscale home furnishings catalog featuring private label down comforters and related down and feather products.

The Company Store Distribution Center is responsible for all receiving, quality control, picking, packing, monogramming, returns, and shipping of customer orders for the Company Store. The distribution center employs an average of 200 employees in its 180,000 square foot facility. Employees are encouraged to perform their jobs in the safest manner possible, following established procedures and wearing personal protective equipment.

The company encourages employees to volunteer for the safety committees that are responsible for the implementation and communication of environmental, health, and safety protection of all workers.

The company is committed to making any and all accommodations to provide work for injured employees, and provides a physical therapy room-an area for employees to perform stretching exercises or take additional breaks.

Safety success is celebrated at two levels-building and department. The building success is determined by the safety challenge and the safety recognition program determines the departmental success. A first, second and third place prize is set up for each category based on industry average and continuous improvement from the previous years results. A year-end bonus is paid to employees based on overall results.

The safety recognition program focuses on each department, or safety team. It runs on a point system and is tallied at the end of each month based on safety talks, safety audits, housekeeping, accidents, reporting, safety contacts, and safety suggestions. In addition, the team with the highest year-end total receives "Safety Champs" apparel and lunch on the company. All winners are recognized at the annual "Safety Day" held at the beginning of each year.

The company has achieved 580 consecutive days without a lost work time accident and incurred claim reductions of $80,000 in 2000.

Contact: Todd Brudos, Human Resources Manager, (608) 791-5869

Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, Green Bay

Category 2B - Agricultural, Forestry, Transportation, Mining & Utilities

The Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District is a single purpose municipality that provides wholesale wastewater to municipal and industrial customers. The District's mission is to promote public health and welfare through the collection, treatment and reclamation of wastewater.

The business operates under a long-range plan in cooperation with other organizations to actively encourage pollution prevention and support programs to help ensure that contaminated water be returned clean to the environment.

The District is committed to providing all of its employees with a safe and healthy work environment. This assumes a collaborative effort on the part of all employees to do their part to maintain a safe environment. The principle objective of the District's health and safety program is to provide all employees with a place of employment that is free from recognized health and safety hazards. The District's safety concerns for its employees encompass on-site, off-site and off-the-job safety.

The safety policies of the District are intended to be flexible and are subject to change-if change will improve the quality of the overall program. All employees are encouraged to submit ideas that will improve safety and health policies and programs. Employees are encouraged to present job-related safety programs at seminars as reinforcement of their safety and health training.

The District reports that its safety record is among the best in the industry as its experience modification is consistently ranked among the best. This success has resulted in consistent monetary return on the district's investment in the form of reduced worker's compensation premiums and worker's compensation dividends in 1999/2000. The district again expects a large dividend for the 2000/2001 premium year, which ends in 2001.

The company implemented a program, "You've been caught working safely," in which members of the safety committee identify and award employees that take exceptional steps towards job safety. Ten employees have received this award from their peers during the last year.

Contact: Mark Vanden Heuvel, Safety & Training Coordinator, (920) 438-1019

J. F. Ahern Co., Fond du Lac

Category 4C - Construction

Founded in 1880, J.F. Ahern Co. today is one of the largest mechanical and fire protection contractors in the United States. Established and headquartered in Fond du Lac, the company employs 700 people and operates fire protection offices in Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa.

The company unveiled its corporate Safety Policies and Procedures Manual in 1993, which provides real-situations and recommended responses. Relying on its supervisors to observe work duties and identify potential hazards, safety responsibilities are also delegated to field and office personnel.

Staff communicates safety objectives through safety meeting and the company's weekly safety newsletter, "Tool Box Talk". The company has recently introduced a safety scorecard system that provides a more accurate depiction of how safe a particular job site is by giving each job a score. The scorecard itself is broken into three parts: audit score, behavioral score and the final score. Every job starts with 100 points and deductions are made for each violation based on previously determined point values.

Copies of the scorecard are forwarded to the project manager, department manager, divisional manager and safety director. At the end of each quarter, the company separates the scorecards by department and gives each department a report card. General liability, worker's compensation, and auto claims, as well as OSHA citation fines are also factored into the final grade. The goal of the system is to increase accountability and subsequently make job sites safer. The company hopes the system will result in a more accurate evaluation of job sites, as well as the company's overall safety.

J.H. Ahern has an awards program that honors employees when the corporate safety goals have been achieved. In fact, as a reward for having its most successful year in 1998, the company raffled a Harley-Davidson motorcycle from over 200 eligible field and shop employees.

The company received the Mechanical Contractors Association Contractor of the Year Award in 1990 for the best safety record in the country, and was a recipient of the 1998 Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award. In addition, J.F. Ahern's frequency and severity rates have remained substantially below the national average for twelve years running. The company's safety record has resulted in being awarded contracts, even when the company was not the lowest bidder.

Contact: Jeff Block, Safety Coordinator, (920) 907-5461

Marion Plywood Corporation, Marion

Category 3B - Agricultural, Forestry, Transportation, Mining & Utilities

Marion Plywood Corporation manufactures rotary cut hardwood veneer and plywood using heavy mobile and fixed machinery. The operation has a great amount of automation with approximately 80 percent of the employees managing ergonomic and cumulative trauma related hazards. The manufacturing process requires an extensive maintenance program of 25 individuals who deal with daily hazards associated in repair and improvement of the plant and equipment.

The management team of Marion Plywood Corp. is committed to the safety, welfare and health of its employees. The company believes accident prevention is everyone's responsibility, and top management provides the leadership, direction and knowledge base that enables supervisors to implement and train staff for proper safe practices and procedures.

The company analyzes all machinery and equipment for safety, repetitive motion and ergonomics. All employees participate in intensive safety orientations and annual interactive training sessions. Marion Plywood Corp. believes that through proper safety training, employees can perform their assigned tasks more efficiently and safely.

The company celebrates safety success by providing financial awards and special recognition honors. In the last few years, the company has experienced a reduction in total OSHA accidents. The company has been the recipient of OSHA awards and was a recipient of the 1999 Wisconsin Council of Safety Award.

Contact: Roger Acra, Human Resources and Safety Manager, (715) 754-5231

Northern Electric, Inc., Green Bay

Category 1C - Construction

Northern Electric Inc. is a full service electrical contractor that works on commercial, industrial and residential projects. The company's philosophy is that safety is the result of careful attention to detail, planning and execution of contracted projects.

Each week, the company distributes "Toolbox Talks" with payroll, and job foremen are required to discuss the safety issues with employees. The attending employees are asked to sign an attendance sheet verifying their presence at the discussion. An employee who works without a reportable claim each quarter receives 30 Northern Electric safety points to use towards company merchandise.

The safety department is the first to be notified of a proposed project. The initiatives are two-fold-to identify the proper equipment and select staff for the job.

Northern Electric measures its safety and health progress by evaluating OSHA logs. The company also maintains specific incident records to avoid multiple incidents. The company provides new member orientation, customer specific training and site specific training in addition to quarterly safety meetings.

Northern Electric boasts worker's compensation experience modification factors well below industry standards. The company reaps the rewards of a low modification factor with low worker's compensation premiums, resulting in lower and more competitive labor rates.

Northern Electric is committed to continuing to educate its employees on safety.

Contact: James Conard, President and Owner, (920) 468-6000

SaukCountyEmergency Government, Baraboo

Category 4D - All Others

Sauk County consists of 31 different departments and approximately 690 employees who are subject to a multitude of exposures.

Sauk County's written Safety and Health Policies are very comprehensive. Upon hire, all county employees are given a safety manual with all of the county's written policies. All levels of the county take an active participation in the program.

The county board and department heads attend and participate in training session, actively participate on the safety committees and review all injury and accident reports with comments and suggestions for fixing hazards. The creation of the safety committees has created a venue for management and employees to work together on a common goal-safety. All employees are encouraged to participate in safety committee meetings, which are utilized to discuss safety concerns and brainstorm for solutions and alternatives.

All requests for proposals or requests for bids from Sauk County require companies to enclose a copy of their safety program. Workplace hazards are identified in three different ways-inspections are performed on all county job sites and workplaces at least twice a year by the safety/risk managers, hazards are identified by safety committee representatives who conduct a weekly walk through inspection, and front line supervisors and department heads are encouraged to report all potential safety concerns to the safety/risk manager.

Because safety and management are under one department in Sauk County, the company has the unique aspect of being able to develop policies and procedures for Sauk County's emergency/disaster program.

The county's return to work program was designed to accommodate any employee with a work related injury, enabling employees to return to work and earn a full paycheck while being a part of the "team". All employees receive training in dealing with workplace issues, including how to deal with irate customers, sexual harassment, ergonomics, and accident/reporting investigations. In addition, the county annually coordinates a health fair, which draws nearly 300 employees.

Contact: Carl Gruber, Safety and Risk Manager, (608) 355-4400

Sentry Equipment Corp., Oconomowoc

Category 2A - Manufacturing

Sentry Equipment Corp. designs and manufactures custom steel fabricated monitoring and analyzing systems for the power generating industry. The company also manufactures heat transfer equipment for industrial applications.

Its safety rules are designed to meet worker protection while promoting a safe and healthful business climate. The safety committee is responsible for reviewing written programs, ensuring OSHA compliance, and making recommendations for enhancing the company's training curriculum.

Each new employee participates in a safety orientation that involves classroom and hands-on training. The company provides its employees with written work instructions that include safe work practices, and each week, safety representatives inspect ladders, showers, eye wash stations and lifting equipment.

Sentry's Emergency Action Plan covers chemical spills, emergency evacuations, and accident and illness response. Team members receive annual training on spill response, MSDS review, drills and fire fighting. The company also has an established plan in the event of an industrial accident. The safety committee conducts a yearly review of its health and safety programs, analyzing injury and accident data to determine the areas that more training is needed.

Sentry Equipment has operated for over two years without a work-related injury. The company offers a comprehensive Wellness program incorporating a safety topic of the month, guest speakers, and a health fair.

Contact: Tina Timmel, Safety and Training Coordinator, (262) 567-7256

Tweet/Garot Mechanical, Inc., Green Bay

Category 3C - Construction

Tweet/Garot Mechanical Inc. employs 300 people, including pipefitters, plumbers, sheet metal workers, service technicians, and office personnel. The business involves the fabrication and installation of commercial and institutional plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, as well as industrial sheet metal fabrication and installation, and process piping.

The greatest challenge facing the company's safety program is from working round-the-clock shutdowns at various paper mills. As a result, the company must supplement its crews outside the company. The company accepts the challenge and works diligently with all members of the shutdown crews to achieve a safe working environment.

The company believes that through engineering controls, preventative maintenance, and the training and motivation of its employees, accidents can be avoided.

Staff is responsible for evaluating site safety prior to job-site involvement. The company's safety department works closely with estimating personnel prior to a bidding project to establish safety priorities within the company's proposal. All equipment required for the job is ordered and delivered prior to job start-up and includes materials such as personal protective items and safety equipment. The company also uses a job safety analysis process to assist in the safe and proper usage of all job-site and shop equipment.

All company supervisors are trained on how to identify safety hazards and maintain a weekly safety observation checklist. Additionally, job safety audits are performed on a regular basis. Analyzing facts, following up the data and generating statistics to prevent future incidents are the main goals of the accident investigations.

The company provides an incentive program for its employees in which all active field and shop personnel who work an entire year without a lost-time injury receive a $25 gift certificate. If no lost-time injuries are incurred for an entire year, the names of ten current employees are randomly drawn, and each is awarded a $500 prize.

Since July 1998, company employees have worked over 1.5 million safe hours without a lost-time incident. The company has received six consecutive awards from the Association of General Contractors for having a lost time incident rate 75 percent below the national construction rate.

Contact: Chris Warren, Safety Director, (920) 498-0400

USFilter/Zimpro Products, Rothschild

Category 3A - Manufacturing

US Filter's Zimpro Products designs, builds and installs wastewater treatment systems worldwide. The work environments and job functions at Zimpro Products are diverse, with employees working at different locations around the world. The company has operated for more than 6 years and 2.6 million hours without incurring a lost time accident, and maintained a recordable injury incident rate that is substantially below industry average.

US Filter firmly stands behind its mission statement that it will not compromise accident and injury prevention, or environmental protection compliance for profit or production. Managers have the ultimate responsibility for the health and safety of their employees and for instruction in health and safety.

All levels of the organization participate in the company's safety and health program through operations and product safety committees, mandatory attendance at safety training classes, open safety meetings and the "We can do" campaign, a program designed to focus attention on issues critical to the company's success.

The organization considers safety in planning for jobs or tasks by conducting a hazard operations analysis on the potential risks associated with fulfilling a specific sold project. In the hazard operations analysis, the company reviews the various job functions and the equipment that is used in the project and associated risks and hazards.

Workplace hazards are identified and reported in the organization as provided under the guiding principle that all employees have the right and responsibility to immediately halt and report unsafe or non-compliant equipment, acts or practices. Hazards are responded to and corrected within the organization with a sense of urgency.

A return-to-work program provides transitional employment to those who have suffered a temporary disability as the result of an industrial accident. Employee placement on restricted duty, light duty, or placement in another position or department is offered as an alternative to a lost time status. The return to work policy has been successful allowing employees to return to the work place under job restrictions-effectively eliminating lost time accidents.

The company measures and evaluates its safety and health progress by reviewing recordable serious injury and lost time accident incident rates and comparing results to established goals and prior reports.

Safety and health training, provided specifically for the organization, draws upon many resources including the American Red Cross, Wisconsin Council of Safety, Argonaut Insurance, the local fire department, vendors and qualified internal personnel.

Contact: Chad Felch, Safety Committee Chairman, (715) 355-3228

Valley Packaging Industries, Inc., Appleton

Category 4A - Manufacturing

Valley Packaging Industries, Inc, (VPI) is a private, non-profit corporation that provides comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. It is an important resource for both the industrial and human service communities in the Fox Cities and Madison area. Custom and production line packaging, product assembly, and specialized projects are examples of jobs performed at the company. VPI manages a full recycling facility with the other facilities utilizing both mechanical and hand operations. Industrial high-speed equipment is used as needed to fulfill customer schedules. VPI has a working partnership with its customers to provide cost effective quality packages through innovative processing methods.

The agency is dedicated to ensuring a safe work environment and requires that each employee comply with all safety and health requirements. The company has safety sub-committees for the four largest company locations to oversee safety policies and procedures. All employees are invited to participate in the agency's employee club that meets monthly to discuss workplace issues.

VPI consistently considers safety in planning for jobs. The safety awareness begins at the bidding process. When potential jobs are reviewed and evaluated, safety issues are also addressed. The company empowers all staff with the ability to identify hazards in the workplace and equips them with the tools needed to respond to the hazard.

The company continues to expand its training programs in Spanish and Hmong. To ensure its training is effective, the company uses pre/post testing as an evaluation tool.

VPI monitors its incident rate monthly at each plant and documentation serves as a gauge for the effectiveness of the safety program. The company is very proud of its continual and substantial decrease in its incidence rate in the past several years.

Contact: Mike McCollum, Plant Manager and Safety Director, (920) 749-5859

Viking Gas Transmission Company, ChippewaFalls& Osceola Stations

Category 1B - Agricultural, Forestry, Transportation, Mining and Utilities

Viking Gas Transmission Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xcel Energy, is an interstate natural gas transportation pipeline that operates and serves gas markets in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. It provides safe, reliable natural gas to thousands of Wisconsin customers.

Viking's employees are headquartered at the Osceola and Chippewa Falls compressor stations. Viking Gas regards worker and public safety as fundamental to the value of the company, and applies its commitment to safety and health protection as the first priority of all operations.

Viking encourages employee involvement in developing and expressing commitment to safety and health protection and encourages employees to identify existing hazards and conditions and operations, which might be detrimental to someone's safety. In addition, the company strives to prevent, minimize and control hazards at the workplace, and believes that safety and health training is important.

Safety is the most important part of the job planning process at Viking. Employees hold regular safety tailgate meetings and discuss potential hazards before jobs. This planning process includes ensuring employees are mentally prepared for the task at hand and have the right equipment and procedures to do the work safely.

All types of accidents, injuries or near misses that have potential for serious injury are investigated by the immediate supervisor and reviewed by the local safety committee. An accident report is prepared describing the cause of the accident and corrective actions deemed necessary to prevent similar type accidents.

Viking's safety and health progress is tracked through a monthly report of total hours worked and accidents or injuries for each work location. The safety and health performance of the company is evaluated based upon year-end results. Employees are rewarded for good safety performance through a company incentive plan.

In 2000, the Chippewa Falls District celebrated 40 years without a lost workday accident, dating back to the district's inception in 1960. The Osceola district has not had a lost workday accident since 1967, and the Viking Hallock District in Minnesota has achieved over 40 years of operation without a lost workday accident. The company takes great pride that no member of the public has been injured since the company began operation in 1960.

Contact: David Oistad, Manager Field Operations, (320) 983-3152

Watertown Hops Company - Division of Miller Brewing Company, Watertown

Category 1A - Manufacturing

The Watertown Hops Company, wholly owned and operated by the Miller Brewing Company, produces modified hop extracts (flavor ingredients) for all of Miller's domestic breweries and its international contract breweries at the rate of 1.5-1.8 million pounds annually.

The Watertown company employs 10 full-time employees in five operational areas. The main safety hazards in the facility are concentrated in the hop processing area where concentrated acids and bases, extremely hazardous reducing agents, and flammable solvents and gases are used. The hazards presented by these materials underscore the extraordinary employee efforts in achieving a safety record of no lost-time incidents in the 12-year history of the facility.

The plant's goals and objectives are discussed individually with each employee at the beginning of the year with follow-up one-on-one sessions each quarter. These sessions allow each employee to communicate specific safety needs and concerns to management, and, in turn, allow management to focus on particular safety responsibilities with each employee. The company addresses safety issues on a daily basis and holds monthly meetings to reinforce and reemphasize the safety issues to all employees and allow interaction and sharing of best practices within the plant. The company has developed a comprehensive 300-page manual addressing all aspects of safety procedures and policies.

All company employees are mentored and trained in safety and staff is encouraged to take at least one outside training/seminar course each year.

In recognition of the company's successful record of no lost-time incidents, for each of the last 12 years, the company has received the "Performance Record Occupational Safety Health Program" award from the National Safety Council every year since 1992.