IMCO Recycling Inc.'s Coldwater South Plant has become the first facility in the state to receive the prestigious Michigan Safety and Health Achievement recognition (SHARP) Award for an exemplary safety and health management system. MIOSHA established the SHARP program to recognize employers that have achieved safety and health excellence far beyond their peers.

On Aug. 11, 2003, BSR Director Doug Kalinowski presented the SHARP Award to General Manager Claude Dubé and Division Safety and Health Manager Brady Myers, who accepted the award on behalf of all 85 Coldwater South Plant workers. State and local elected officials, corporate leaders, as well as MIOSHA representatives, were on hand to congratulate employees and management on their outstanding achievement. "I am honored to present the first Michigan SHARP Award to the IMCO Coldwater South Plant," said Kalinowski. "Foundries are inherently high-hazard workplaces. You are to be applauded for your outstanding achievement to create a work environment that eliminates hazards and protects workers."

Helping High-Hazard Employers
The Michigan SHARP Program targets small, high-hazard employers-to help them develop, implement and continuously improve the effectiveness of their workplace safety and health management system. SHARP provides an incentive for employers to emphasize accident and illness prevention by anticipating problems, rather than simply reacting to them. "We are very proud of this achievement, which recognizes our commitment to make the Coldwater South Plant a safe workplace," said Dubé. "It is the result of teamwork between all of our workers and management to prevent injuries and illnesses, which has dramatically reduced our related work-comp costs." The MIOSHA Onsite Consultation Program within the Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division operates the Michigan SHARP Program. Onsite consultants work with employers to help them become self-sufficient in managing occupational safety and health. SHARP worksites earn an exemption from "programmed" MIOSHA inspections on a yearly basis.

(Front) Doug Kalinowski, John Vanlieu, Doug Scherer, Chay Herman, Brady Myers,
Claude Dube, Gary Barnett.(Back) Bruce Caswell, Gregory Moore, Robert Rumsey,
Jack Rubley, Nora Elkins, Howard Simmons, Mike Lofton, Chris Passamani,
Steve Lucas, Larey Cole.

Reducing Injury and Illness
IMCO management believes that sound environmental, health and safety practices lead to excellent product quality, an efficient workforce and continuity of operations. The MIOSHA evaluation team found significant management commitment to carry out the safety goals formalized in the corporate mission statement. The South Plant's Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code is 3341, Secondary Smelting and Refining of Nonferrous Metals, which is classified as a high-hazard industry. The plant's incidence rates are well below the national average for their SIC code. The Total Case Incidence Rate for the South Plant was 7.6 in 2001 and 3.3 in 2002-compared to 12.8 and 18.4, respectively, for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) industry average. The Total Days Away/Restricted Cases for the South Plant was 2.2 in 2001 and 2002-compared to 7.3 and 8.9, respectively, for the BLS industry average. As part of their safety and health management system the South Plant has conducted a Job Safety Analyses (JSA) for each process used in the plant. They have developed safe procedures for every operation and provided safety training for all procedures. They have also conducted a personal protective equipment hazard assessment for the plant, to make sure workers are appropriately protected.

Increasing Employee Involvement
Over the past several years, employee involvement has become an integral component of the their safety and health program. CET consultants have worked with the company to enhance the functions of their safety committee, so that it is accessible to all employees and provides a mechanism for employees to raise safety concerns, and to have those concerns addressed. Self-inspections are also a vital component in the South Plant's safety and health management system.

Employees and guests celebrated the presentation of MIOSHA's
first Sharp Award to IMCO Recycling's Coldwater South Plant.

Producing a Quality Product
IMCO Recycling Inc. is the world's largest recycler of both aluminum and zinc, and operates 22 U.S. production facilities, as well as five international facilities located in Brazil, Germany, Mexico and Wales. The IMCO Coldwater South Plant recycles more than 180 million pounds of aluminum scrap annually. On a daily basis, their workers handle several hundred thousand pounds of molten aluminum, reaching over 1400° F. Principal customers of the IMCO aluminum operations include major aluminum companies, as well as automobile manufacturers and their suppliers. These customers use most of the metal recycled by the company to manufacture products for transportation, packaging, and construction the three largest aluminum markets. IMCO's basic corporate purpose, as a part of the environmental industry's recycling sector, is to provide services to industry to reclaim valuable materials for reuse. This process provides savings in energy, raw materials and landfill capacity, all of which reduce industry's impact on the environment. Visit the IMCO Recycling website.

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