That quote comes from one of our 2012 America’s Safest Companies (ASC) winners. Now, I have to be a bit coy and not reveal which company included that sentence in their application. We’re keeping the winners under wraps until September, when we’ll celebrate at an award ceremony at our inaugural America’s Safest Companies Conference in Chicago.
I’ve helped choose our ASC winners for the last 5 years, and it’s never easy. This year we had many excellent finalists, and it took a lot of thought and consideration to narrow the field down to only eight winners. Editor-in-Chief Sandy Smith and I are confident that this year’s eight ASC winners are exemplary.
I might not be able to reveal the winning companies yet, but I can share just a few quotes from their applications. Take a look:
► “We encourage all associates to take individual responsibility for themselves and to be role models of safety excellence for coworkers, families and communities.”
► “Our culture is to expect 100% engagement from all associates in our safety programs, which includes not only participation but also leadership.”
► “How many companies can say that their CEO has reviewed every single recordable injury AND serious near miss? We can!”
► “Our 76% improvement in recordable injuries and external recognitions (e.g. VPP sites) are a result of our strong safety culture, and they demonstrate how ingrained safety is in why and how we do business.”
► “Management sets high expectations for themselves and for the EHS team, which is why we excel in setting safety targets and measuring monthly performance.”
► “We encourage associates by engaging their hearts and minds.”
► “Our willingness to benchmark from each other as well as other local companies is a great way to continue to be creative and never settle for status quo.”
► “Safety, or EHS, is who we are ... It’s a core value that is integrated into all business processes and functions.”
We notified the winning companies this week. If you applied and haven’t heard from us, please don’t be discouraged. Every year, we have to turn down some excellent companies for this award, but any company (save those that have won in the last 5 years) can reapply next year. In fact, almost every year we name winners who had applied in the past.
If you’d like to learn more about this year’s ASC winners, and even network and benchmark with them, attend our America’s Safest Companies Conference in Chicago Sept. 11-12. Current and past ASC-winning leadership will be in attendance, along with corporate CEOs, OSHA compliance guidance from Fisher and Phillips workplace labor attorneys, former OSHA administrators and many more.
Stay tuned for more coverage of the ASC winners this September. And on behalf of the staff at EHS Today, I’d like to thank everyone who submitted an America’s Safest Companies application this year.