Two Smurfit-Stone mills achieve safety milestones

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation's mills in Hodge, La., and Hopewell, Va., have achieved major safety milestones.

The company's Hodge mill has achieved 1.5 million hours worked without a recordable accident according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. The Hopewell mill has gone 1 million hours without an OSHA recordable.

"The extraordinary efforts of everyone at our Hodge and Hopewell mills have made them safer places to work and are a big part of Smurfit-Stone's overall success," said Sonny Jackson, Smurfit-Stone's senior vice president and general manager of containerboard mill operations. "These safety performances are setting standards for others and are integral to our overall goal of becoming the safest and most profitable company in our industry."

According to the Pulp & Paper Safety Association (PPSA), only seven mills have achieved 1 million hours worked without an OSHA recordable and five of those mills are from Smurfit-Stone. In addition to the Hodge and Hopewell mills, these include the Smurfit-Stone mills in Brewton, Ala.; West Point, Va.; and Stevenson, Ala.

Smurfit-Stone has led the industry in safety every year since 2001. Last year, Smurfit-Stone chairman and chief executive officer Patrick J. Moore received the PPSA Executive Eagle Award, the PPSA's highest honor. Moore also has been recognized by the National Safety Council's Safety+Health magazine as a "CEO Who Gets It".

Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation's innovative packaging solutions help its customers to grow their businesses and profits. As North America's premier packaging company, Smurfit-Stone is the industry's leading integrated manufacturer of paperboard and paper-based packaging. Smurfit-Stone also is one of the world's largest paper recyclers. The company has led the industry in safety performance every year since 2001 and conducts its business in compliance with the environmental, health and safety principles of the American Forest & Paper Association. Smurfit-Stone's corrugated container facilities have earned SFI Certified Sourcing Label status from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. Smurfit-Stone operates approximately 180 facilities and employs approximately 25,200 people.