America's Safest Companies 2025: Albany Engineered Composites

Editor's Note: The 2025 class of America's Safety Companies will be recognized Tuesday, October 21, during the Safety Leadership Conference 2025 in Glendale, Ariz. More information about the conference, including registration, can be found at www.safetyleadershipconference.com.

Albany Engineered Composites

Aerospace Manufacturing

Rochester, NH

1,400 employees | 6 sites | 7 EHS professionals

To achieve the highest level of workplace safety, an organization must combine robust operational programs with an unshakeable culture.

“As a company, we believe all accidents are preventable,” says Bryan Valdez, senior director of EHS at Albany Engineered Composites. “Our first priority as a company is to address safety behaviors, conditions and/or hazards that could cause a SIF [serious injury or fatality].”

To achieve this goal, the company created a SIF Observation Program. Leadership at each of the companies’ nine sites takes an active role on the manufacturing floor, observing job tasks and processes to ensure that safe behaviors are being practiced.

“If there is a non-compliance observed, it is treated as a coaching opportunity that leads to an open discussion regarding safety expectations,” Valdez explains. “Investing in and monitoring safety leading indicators empowers all employees to move beyond reactive measures, fostering a preventative safety mindset that prioritizes the proactive protection of our team member’s health and well-being.”

As part of the proactive mindset, the company holds safety kaizens. Procedures include ongoing evaluation and feedback mechanisms that lead to the implementation of small, incremental improvements. Valdez says that these are key processes for boosting safety practices and overall performance.

Another program that focuses on preventing accidents before they happen is the company’s Hazard Identification Program (Haz ID), which Valdez notes is one of the company’s strong culturally engrained safety leading indicators. He says it offers an “excellent opportunity for employees to either voice concerns regarding behaviors or conditions in their workplace or to proactively identify methods to improve the safety of job tasks.”

Determining the proficiency of this program is essential and all company facilities are measured for both the quantity of Haz IDs submitted, as well as employee participation in the program. With a participation goal of 100%, there are also requirements for a minimum closure rate of 95% to ensure that all concerns are prioritized to be completed in a timely manner.

In addition to structure, the company relies on the diversity of its workforce to meet these high standards. “Our strategy is to focus on the advantages inherent in our diverse workforce and promote an inclusive company culture, fostering innovation and business success,” says Valdez.

On a mission to always improve, Valdez explains the company’s philosophy: “While many companies are satisfied with meeting the basic requirements, Albany takes pride in continued pursuit of perfection and always challenges its team members with the pivotal question: ‘What’s Next?’”