AK Steel said on April 3 that the Columbus, Ind., and Walbridge, Ohio, plants of its wholly owned subsidiary, AK Tube LLC, have been recognized for their outstanding safety performances in 2008 by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International (FMA) and CNA Insurance.
For the second consecutive year, the Columbus plant earned the Safety Award of Honor from FMA/CNA for working the entire year with no recordable injuries or illnesses. The Walbridge plant earned the FMA/CNA Safety Award of Merit. That award is presented for posting an injury and illness incident rate that is better than the published Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) rate for their industry by 10 percent or greater. For 2008, Walbridge's injury and illness incident rate of 1.75 was 77 percent better than the BLS rate for their industry.
"We congratulate the employees at AK Tube's Columbus and Walbridge facilities for their exceptional safety achievements," said James L. Wainscott, chairman, president and CEO of AK Steel. "Their performance exemplifies AK Steel's commitment to safety as our number one priority."
FMA noted that the awards "recognize the company's commitment to providing a safe work environment for its most valuable assets, the employees." The awards will be presented on May 5 at FMA's annual safety conference in Deerfield, Ill.
The Columbus plant is also a previous recipient of FMA's Safety Award of Merit award for its 2006 safety performance. Also, the Columbus plant participates as a Star site in the Indiana Department of Labor's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). The VPP Star signifies that the plant's employee programs go above and beyond Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, and reflects a cooperative relationship between management, employees and OSHA.
During 2008, AK Steel led the steel industry in safety by a wide margin. AK Steel's corporate-wide total recordable injury rate of only 0.28 last year was about eight times better than the industry average of 2.33, according to data compiled by the American Iron and Steel Institute.
FMA is the leading association serving the metal forming and fabricating industry. Headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, the association has more than 2,000 members.
About AK Steel
AK Steel produces flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steels, primarily for automotive, appliance, construction and electrical power generation and distribution markets. The company employs about 6,300 men and women in Middletown, Mansfield, Coshocton and Zanesville, Ohio; Butler, Pa.; Ashland, Ky.; Rockport, Ind.; and its corporate headquarters in West Chester, Ohio.
AK Tube LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of AK Steel, employs about 260 men and women in plants in Walbridge, Ohio, and Columbus, Ind. AK Tube produces carbon and stainless electric resistance welded (ERW) tubular steel products for truck, automotive and other markets.