MIOSHA awards the highest recognition for workplace safety and health to Cintas Fire Protection facility

RELEASE DATE: Friday, Jan. 17, 2020
CONTACT: Camara Lewis, 517-930-4928

TROY, Mich.– Cintas Corporation's Fire Protection facility in Troy, Michigan, received the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP) Star award from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) for workplace safety and health excellence.

MIOSHA Consultation Education and Training Division Director, Nella Davis-Ray, presented the MVPP Star Award plaque and flag to the Cintas Fire Protection staff in a celebration ceremony held on Jan. 17.

“MIOSHA is proud to recognize the commitment Cintas Fire Protection has placed on maintaining a company culture that promotes excellence in workplace safety and health,” MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman said. “Implementing best practices for increased employee safety and preventing accidents exemplifies a true commitment to safety among management and staff at this facility.”   

As the most prestigious safety and health award given in Michigan, Cintas Fire Protection becomes one of only 32 companies in the state with MVPP Star status.

Identifying best practices is vital to the MVPP continuous improvement process. Among Cintas Fire Protection’s best practices are:

• Management commitment – Cintas Fire Protection in Troy, Mich. has created a culture where management is actively involved in the safety and health management system and partner (employee) input is continually sought and incorporated whenever possible. Safety is the first priority and is a consideration in all decisions. Partners are encouraged to report unsafe conditions and are empowered to stop work if they are uncomfortable or feel that a condition or situation is unsafe. Additionally, the Cintas safety and health program is reviewed annually by the corporate executive safety counsel. Site managers are expected to lead, manage and care for the partners. 
• Employee involvement – Employees (partners) have several opportunities, including debriefs, one-on-one’s and “Safety Blitzes” to interact with and provide input to management. Other opportunities for involvement in the safety and health management include safety committees, hazard identification, submitting safety leads, incident investigations, conducting safety training, performing safety inspections, participating in the Safety Blitz Program and submitting safety best practices. Before any partner participates in any of these activities they are trained and prepared to do so.

"At Cintas, our primary focus is on the safety and health of our employee-partners and customers, which creates genuine trust in the communities where we operate,” Cintas General Manager Sean Kotary said. “We are proud of Cintas Fire Protection’s achievement and would like to thank MIOSHA for its support and recognition. I speak for our entire team when I say we look forward to continuing our partnership with MIOSHA in furthering our exemplary safety record.”

Cintas helps businesses protect their assets with services such as fire extinguisher inspection and training, fire sprinkler system inspection, fire alarm monitoring, emergency and exit light inspection and more. Current MVPP Star sites are available to mentor other companies that have an interest and desire to improve their safety and health management system.   

MIOSHA established the MVPP program in 1996 to recognize employers with exemplary safety and health management systems that go above MIOSHA requirements. The MVPP program is open to all Michigan employers. To be eligible for the award, an applicant must have injury and illness incidence rates for each of the last three years below the industry average.

Learn more about becoming an MVPP Star site at Michigan.gov/MVPP.

About Cintas Corporation

Cintas Corporation helps more than one million businesses of all types and sizes get ready^™ to open their doors with confidence every day by providing a wide range of products and services that enhance our customers’ image and help keep their facilities and employees clean, safe and looking their best. With products and services including uniforms, mats, mops, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, fire extinguishers and testing, and training and compliance courses, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday^®. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.