April 9,
2008 - Louisiana-Pacific
Corporation's Building Products (LP) Newberry plant recently received renewal
of its MVPP Star Award, the state's highest workplace safety and health award,
from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA). The MIOSHA program is part of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic
Growth (DLEG).
"Louisiana-Pacific
is to be commended for its exemplary corporate commitment to workplace safety
and health," said MIOSHA Director Doug
Kalinowski. "They have created a corporate
culture where workplace safety and health is a top priority. LP recognizes that a safe workplace provides
the foundation for a productive workplace."
MIOSHA established the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP) program in
1996 to recognize employers actively working toward achieving excellence in
workplace safety and health. Since 1999, Michigan has recognized 22 MVPP Star
companies. This is the most prestigious
safety and health award given in Michigan. The Louisiana-Pacific Newberry plant first received MVPP Star approval
on March 11, 2004.
LP
Corporate was recently recognized as one of the Top 10 Safest Companies in
America by Occupational Hazards magazine and received the
award at the national award ceremony in Chicago. LP has 23 facilities across the
U.S.
,
Canada
and
Chile
. Of those 23, eight are either federal or state VPP sites. In addition to Newberry, the sites
include: Tomahawk, WI; Hayward, WI; Two
Harbors, MN; Houlton, ME; Middlebury, IN; Jasper, TX; and Roaring River, NC.
"There are
only 21 other companies in the state of Michigan that can say they are an MVPP Star
site," said Russ Norkoli,
Safety Manager. "It takes a total team
effort and commitment to continue in the MVPP. Our employees have been taking on more of a leadership role in safety
over the past couple of years. I can't
say enough about the quality of our employees."
The
Newberry plant's incidence rate and lost work day rate are well below the Michigan average for their NAICS code 321219 - Reconstituted Wood Product
Manufacturing. Their total case
incidence rate average over the last three years was 3.27, compared to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) industry average of 4.5.
"Newberry
had an outstanding year in 2007 and was a significant contributor to LP
Building Products achieving their safest year ever and lowest Total Incident
Rate (TIR), along with being a significant contributor to LP's national recognition
and VPP achievements," said Steve
Hatcher, Business Team Safety Manager.
The
Newberry facility employs 129 workers and is considered a high-hazard operation. The MIOSHA review team consisted of Doug Kimmel, Team Leader and Safety
Consultant; Fred Kirkland, Industrial
Hygienist; and Barry Simmonds, Safety Consultant. The team examined various elements of
Newberry's safety and health management system, and found them to effectively
address the scope and complexity of the hazards at the site.
It was
evident during the interviews that employee safety and health are equal to or
more important than production. Management commitment is evidenced by:
- Written accident
prevention/safety and health program;
- Dedicated safety staff and
resources;
- An active and empowered safety
and health committee;
- Comprehensive safety and health
training;
- A fully implemented accident
investigation program;
- Significant engineering and
administrative controls to eliminate ergonomic hazards; and
- Employee accountability for
their safety and health performance.
Employee
involvement and participation are highly effective at the Newberry facility
with employees believing their safety and health is a top priority for
themselves and the company. Workers have
many avenues to bring safety and health issues to management, including an
open-door policy. Employees are involved
in the creation and updating of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for all
jobs in the plant.
The company
conducts inspections in various areas of the plant each month to ensure the
entire facility is covered every few months. Managers and supervisors are required to complete an established number
of proactive safety-related tasks each month. Corporate safety and health professionals have developed a Leading
Indicator system to help each LP facility stay focused on maintaining safety
and health compliance.
The
Newberry plant manufactures high-quality SmartSide™
siding products that provide beauty, performance and value to homeowners. LP, headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., is a premier supplier of building
products, manufacturing innovative, high-quality commodity and specialty
products to its retail, wholesale, homebuilding and industrial customers. Visit LP's Web site at www.lpcorp.com for additional information on
the company.
Read more Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth press releases.