The Kentucky Labor Cabinet on November 10 presented Sun Products Corporation of Bowling Green, Ky., with two awards for taking extraordinary measures to ensure the safety and health of its employees. Sun Products is a leading manufacturer and marketer of fabric care and dish care products.
Labor Cabinet Deputy Secretary Mark Brown presented plant director Ronald Anglin with a plaque signifying the company’s certification under the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) and another plaque for the Governor’s Safety and Health Award for achieving 5,087,143 hours worked without a lost-time accident.
“SHARP recognizes employers who operate exemplary safety and health management systems and are committed to making safety for employees a priority,” said Brown during the award ceremony. “I am delighted to be here today to recognize Sun Products’ significant achievements in safety.”
The U.S. Department of Labor designed SHARP to encourage and recognize excellence in occupational safety and health among employers and create a proactive partnership with its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Although companies must meet federal standards for the program, the Kentucky Labor Cabinet presents the award as Kentucky has operated its own federally approved Occupational Safety and Health (KY-OSH) program for more than 20 years.
Sun Product’s manufacturing operation in Bowling Green has been working toward SHARP certification for two years and becomes the 12th facility in Kentucky to attain SHARP certification.
To qualify for SHARP designation, companies must undergo a comprehensive evaluation and series of audits, correct any identified hazards, demonstrate that effective safety and health programs are in place, and maintain injury rates below the national average for their industry for the last three years. Companies must have a safety and health program that involves all employees in finding and correcting existing or possible future hazards as they develop. SHARP's certification is good for two years and then can be renewed. A company is exempted from scheduled KY-OSH compliance inspections during the certification period, but partners with KY-OSH to continue striving to improve their safety program.
Governor’s Safety and Health Award
The Governor’s Safety and Health Award honors employers and employees who meet a required number of hours without workplace injuries serious enough to cause an employee to miss a day of work.
Sun Products’ Bowling Green facility qualified for this award by working more than 5 million hours without a lost-time injury. The site’s injury-free record dates back to November 2007.
"Congratulations to our Sun Products Bowling Green associates for achieving this exceptional safety milestone,” said Neil P. DeFeo, chief executive officer of Sun Products. “Safety is an important part of our values which recognize associates as the most significant element of our success. I wish to thank all of our associates for being committed to creating an injury-free workplace.”
Additional information on SHARP and Kentucky’s health and safety standards and programs can be found at http://www.labor.ky.gov/ows/osh/educationtraining/partnershipprograms/sharp.htm.