UNICCO exceeds 1 million safe hours at Dow facilities

Dow and UNICCO Service Company on November 13 jointly announced that the UNICCO cleaning staffs servicing several Dow sites have collectively surpassed 1 million hours without an OSHA recordable incident. Having passed the milestone, the UNICCO teams continue to build on this record.

UNICCO has been providing cleaning services to Dow since 1988. Its combined staff of 155 services many sites for Dow and its affiliated companies. Those sites are located in Texas at Freeport, Seadrift, Texas City, Clear Lake, LaPorte and Houston. At the LaPorte site, the cleaning staff went an incredible 12 years without an OSHA recordable incident.

Commenting on the achievement, Oscar Greak III, Dow maintenance process leader, said, “We take safety seriously at Dow and constantly work with our contractors to make sure that safety is a priority for them as well. That’s why we are happy to recognize and honor the UNICCO staff for their achievement. These men and women are working around complex equipment that demands diligence and caution. Reaching this milestone is a tremendous achievement.”

At Dow, the cleaning services are an integral part of the overall safety program since a clean, organized workplace is conducive to safety. Dow’s process manufacturing requires that UNICCO workers must clean around operating industrial equipment. They must be constantly aware of their surroundings as they move throughout the facilities. The UNICCO staff must coordinate with Dow personnel and other work groups within the plants in order to operate safely.

“The Dow facilities that we service are dynamic places,” said Gregg Longacre, UNICCO general manager. “Our accomplishment is a reflection of the dedication of our staff, supervisors and management. But it is also a direct result of Dow’s dedication to safety and their support of UNICCO’s safety initiatives. A million hours is a lofty accomplishment but we view it as the logical outcome of the attention and dedication that both Dow and UNICCO have to safety.”

Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science and technology to improve living daily. The company offers a broad range of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products.

UNICCO Service Company is one of North America's largest integrated facilities services companies with more than 16,000 employees and $700 million in annualized revenues. The privately held company offers maintenance, operations, cleaning, lighting and administrative/office services for corporate and multi-tenant office, education, retail, industrial, government and public venue facilities.