OSHA honors local firm with special safety award
A local steel company cut its worker injury level so much that it has received a special award from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Nucor Wire Products Inc. in New Salem received the OSHA S.H.A.R.P. (Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program) award, an honor that has gone to only 48 Pennsylvania companies. Nucor鈥檚 award also may be the first in Fayette County.
鈥淭his is a huge deal,鈥� said Samuel J. Gualardo, director of OSHA鈥檚 Consultation Program.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 hand these out like candy. It鈥檚 only for employers who achieve the highest level of safety.鈥�
Gualardo explained OSHA鈥檚 Consultation Program works with employers that have an in-house safety program to help reduce the number of on-the-job injuries.
The regulations for the S.H.A.R.P. Program, Gualardo said, 鈥渁re above and beyond the regular OSHA safety rules. There are 58 elements in the program they have to meet.
鈥淔or a company to win this award, that鈥檚 pretty darn good,鈥� Gualardo said.
Kenny Perez, Nucor safety director, said the company cut workplace injuries from 27 in 2008 down to 鈥渢wo so far this year.鈥�
Nucor, based in Charlotte, N.C., and is the largest steel producer and steel recycler in the nation, bought the former Nelson Steel Co. in October 2007.
In its first year of ownership of the New Salem plant, Nucor cut injuries to 20, Perez said.
鈥淲e focused our teams on safety,鈥� Perez said, adding that there were only three workplace injuries each in 2009 and 2010.
鈥淭he biggest thing is not the numbers but that everybody goes home the same way they came to work,鈥� Perez said.
The company employs 100 鈥渢eammates,鈥� he added, in the production of standard and custom wire products, including wire rack decking, light-weight galvanized mesh, mine mesh and engineering mesh.
鈥淚n 2008, we started laying out the road for safety. One of the first things we did, we had to establish the rules. As a team, we decided we were going yo be one of the safest and one of the best.
鈥淲e want safe to be the right thing,鈥� Perez said.
Attending the award presentation Friday were Nucor employees and their families. As noted by Fayette County Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink, 鈥淚 have attended many other functions and open houses and not all companies invite the families to attend.鈥�
Perez said Nucor focuses on families and workplace safety. A banner bearing photos of family members that covered the side of one of Nucor鈥檚 buildings read, 鈥淒on鈥檛 disappoint them鈥ecide to work safe today.鈥�
鈥淚n the United States, about 17 workers die each day in workplace accidents and 100 workers die each day due to occupational diseases,鈥� Gualardo said.
鈥淵ou are fortunate to be working for an employer who is interested in protecting you each and every day,鈥� he added.
Gualardo said S.H.A.R.P. also adds value to a workplace. When there are fewer injuries and related work stoppages, profits rise. 鈥淚 can be the difference between operating in the black or the red,鈥� Gualardo said. The program, he added, 鈥渕akes it a better place to work and you have satisfied employees.
鈥淓very life saved is a family that鈥檚 kept intact,鈥� Gualardo said. 鈥淭his also shows how business and government can work together.鈥�
Also attending the award program and making comments were Ron Costello and Jonathan Soles, safety team members; Jim Darcy, Nucor executive vice president; Dean Marks, Nucor Wire Products controller; Zimmerlink; state Rep. Deberah Kula; state Rep. Peter J. Daley; Chris Rosselot, representing U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr.; and Jeff Williams, representing state Sen. Richard Kasunic.
鈥淭his designation is a testimony to the safety culture, dedication and hard work of every team member at our New Salem facility,鈥� Marks said.