Do You Work for One of America's Safest Companies?

May 17, 2007
Through Aug. 1, Occupational Hazards is accepting applications for the 2007 class of America's Safest Companies. Does your company deserve consideration?

To help you answer that question, consider that previous America's Safest Companies honorees share a number of common traits. Those traits include:

  • Lost-time accident and injury rates that are below their industry averages.
  • Upper management commitment to and visibility in safety.
  • Comprehensive safety training programs.
  • Employee involvement, ranging from stop-work authority to egalitarian safety committees.
  • Consistent, continuous communication about hazards and safety practices.
  • Job hazard analyses, risk assessment, hazard control/prevention and safety audits woven into the fabric of day-to-day operations.
  • Internal safety standards that often surpass OSHA and EPA regulations and industry norms.

This, of course, is just a partial list of the traits typically shared by America's Safest Companies. Past honorees also share a common philosophy: In addition to the moral component that safety is the right thing to do, America's Safest Companies believe that there is a symbiotic relationship between safety and productivity, profits, morale and employee retention.

As Koch-Glitsch President Bob DiFulgentiz told Occupational Hazards in 2006, the qualities that helped the company's Wichita, Kan., manufacturing facility become an OSHA VPP Star site are the same qualities needed “to deliver on time, have a high-quality product and have good productivity.”

“Amazingly, when we focus on safety, all the other measurements improved,” DiFulgentiz said. “It's just good for business.”

What You Need to Know

Occupational Hazards currently is accepting applications for America's Safest Companies, and the deadline for the 2007 class is Aug. 1.

Winners will be honored at a reception during the National Safety Council's 95th Annual Congress and Expo, which will take place in October in Chicago. Occupational Hazards also will recognize the 2007 class of America's Safest Companies in a special section in the November issue of the magazine.

America's Safest Companies is a companywide honor. In other words, unlike OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program – which acknowledges safety achievement at individual facilities of a larger corporation – Occupational Hazards judges an entire company or an independent operating unit of a larger company.

Previous America's Safest Companies honorees are welcome to re-apply.

To enter, please fill out the America's Safest Companies questionnaire and return it to Occupational Hazards by Aug. 1.

For more on America's Safest Companies, click here.

Good luck, and stay safe.

Sponsored Recommendations

3 Essential Elements for a Strong Safety Culture

March 13, 2024
Organizations globally have increased their attention on safety culture: trying to figure out what it really is and the aspects that are necessary to develop and sustain it. And...

Making the Case for Occupational Health Software

March 13, 2024
Deciding to invest in Occupational Health (OH) software can be a challenging leap for many organizations. This article will equip businesses with insightful strategies for effectively...

Fighting the Flu: Solutions for the Workplace

March 13, 2024
Seasonal flu continues to wreak considerable havoc both on individual wellness, as well as on our business continuity and productivity. Explore these solutions for protecting ...

Preventing SIFs with Digitization: Reduce Serious Injuries and Fatalities with Technology

March 13, 2024
This eBook discusses the origins of SIF prevention, outlines principles, models and tools available to EHS leaders to better detect and address SIF potential in their business...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!