EHS Today is proud to announce the 2014 class of America’s Safest Companies. The 19 companies on the list represent a broad array of industries, from construction to retail to manufacturing to commercial diving and more. They don’t focus on numbers, they focus on the importance of all workers returning home safely at the end of the shift and do whatever it takes to make that happen.
The America’s Safest Companies Class of 2014 is: The AES Corp., Alan Shintani Inc., Aqueos Corp., BL Harbert International LLC, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., Dressbarn, Egan Co., Field Fastener, Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands South Carolina, Inteva Products LLC, Kirk Erectors Inc., Orica USA Inc., Price Industrial, Rockwell Automation Inc., SBM Site Services LLC, Scot Forge Co., TP Mechanical, Watermark and Westar Energy Inc.
These representatives of safety excellence come in all shapes and sizes, from firms with several dozen employees to multinational corporations with tens of thousands of employees. But they have one thing in common: They believe that there’s nothing more important than protecting their workers, the environment and the communities in which they operate.
“Our motto is ‘Safety Brings You Home,’” said Jim Malecha of Egan Co., a specialty contractor. “Several years ago, we looked at adopting slogans like ‘Zero Injuries’ or ‘Target Zero.’ We felt these slogans were more about statistics than about our employees. We wanted a saying that emphasized to our employees that safety was about them and their families.”
At Aqueos Corp., a commercial diving company that works with the oil and gas industry, stop work authority is considered a responsibility of each employee, and occurs a number of times each shift, said JB Glass, CHST, CET, COSS HSE manager. “Hazard identification is integrated into the work style of personnel. The culture supports ownership of a solution if a hazard is identified.”
The achievements of Egan Co., Aqueos Corp., and the other 16 America’s Safest Companies for 2014 will be celebrated during EHS Today’s Safety Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, from Oct. 27-29. The awards presentation will take place on Oct. 28 at Ruth's Chris Steak House. Winners receive two free passes for the Safety Leadership Conference, and best practices from all of the 2014 America's Safest Companies will be featured in a special section in the November issue of EHS Today magazine.
Since 2002, America’s Safest Companies has honored 174 organizations for their unwavering commitment to worker safety and health and environmental stewardship.