Milliken & Co.'s Sycamore Transportation Distribution Facility shines brightly as a safety star in South Carolina.
The facilityhas been designated a "Palmetto Star" in workplace safety and health by the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR). Rita McKinney, director of LLR, made the announcement to workers at the plant yesterday in a ceremony recognizing the accomplishment.
Sycamore is the first transportation and warehousing location in the state of South Carolina to receive the award. The facility has won numerous fleet and safety awards including first place from the National Private Truck Council and "Best Known Record" from the National Safety Council.
"Palmetto Star" is the Labor Department's vehicle to recognize employers who voluntarily exceed the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in providing their workers a safe and healthy work-site.
"Management commitment to safety is evident here at the Sycamore plant," McKinney said. "But without the involvement and commitment to safety of all associates this milestone would have not been realized. It is obvious that the associates here have bought into the safety program. Employee awareness and participation in a company safety program are critical if it is to work and flourish."
"Obtaining the Palmetto Star certification is a tremendous accomplishment for all of our Sycamore associates. I share in their pride and applaud the hard work and dedication that went into earning this award," said Archie Shue, transportation manager.
Qualification for the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) is not an easy task. An applicant must demonstrate management commitment to safety, assess hazards that may be present within their workplaces, maintain a system for hazard correction and control, and provide employees with safety and health programs. Having met those mandates, the applicant has one final hurdle to clear, which for most proves to be the greatest obstacle. That is, the requirement that the company have a lost workday injury rate that is 50 percent below the state average for the applicant's industry for the last three years.
There are over 7 million work sites in the United States. Only 710 are OSHA VPP STAR sites, and 49 of those are Milliken sites. In South Carolina there are 40 total VPP STAR sites and 30 - or 75 percent - of those are Milliken sites.
Milliken & Co. is South Carolina's largest privately held company, and has over 65 manufacturing facilities in five southeastern states. The company also has facilities in 11 countries worldwide and produces over 38,000 textile and specialty chemical products.
edited by Sandy Smith ([email protected])