Sekisui
Specialty Chemicals in Calvert City Presented Governor’s Safety and Health
Award
Employees
completed 1,755,643 production hours without a lost-time incident
CALVERT
CITY, Ky. (June 5, 2018) – Labor Cabinet Acting
Secretary Mike Nemes visited Sekisui Specialty
Chemicals
in Calvert City today to present a Governor’s Safety and Health Award for the 1,755,643
production hours worked without a lost-time incident by employees.
“Today
marks the eighth different Governor’s Safety and Health for Sekisui in the last
nine years,” Nemes stated. “That is a remarkable feat and it is something that
deserves to be celebrated. It is also obvious that there is a culture here that
expects safety-conscious employees who take pride in working together to keep
each other safe. For this reason, it is my honor to present you with number
eight today, and I hope we are celebrating number nine this time next year.
Congratulations to you and all of your success.”
Sekisui started in Pennsylvania in April 1963, when the
Sekisui Plastics Corporation began operations, becoming the first Japanese
manufacturer in North America. Since that time, it has grown to 10 individual
companies, including Sekisui Specialty Chemicals which manufactures polyvinyl
alcohol products found in adhesives, paper, building and construction,
textiles, films, ceramics, coatings, packaging, and oilfield cementing.
“I am very proud of our focus on safety,” said Craig Mitchell,
President of Sekisui Specialty Chemicals America. “We appreciate the Governor
recognizing companies that put safety as a top priority.”
“People are the most important strength in our company and safety
is and always will be the most important part of our job,” EHS and Operations
Director Charlie O’Rear stated.
“Kentucky applauds companies like Sekisui Specialty Chemicals that
so value their workforce,” State Sen. Danny Carroll of Paducah said. “This
organization and its leaders have taken every measure to ensure the safety and
well-being of each individual employee. I congratulate them on this
much-deserved award and look forward to the company’s future successes in
Calvert City and beyond.”
“This award speaks volumes about Sekisui Specialty Chemicals’
commitment to safety, so I want to thank everyone at the company responsible
for this landmark achievement,” said State Rep. Will Coursey, of Benton. “I
also appreciate the Labor Cabinet’s recognition of those workplaces where
safety is such a priority. Every employee deserves the kind of environment that
companies like Sekisui provide.”
The Kentucky Labor Cabinet presents the Governor’s Safety and
Health Award to highlight outstanding safety and health performance in
Kentucky’s workplaces. A business may qualify for the award if its
employees achieve a required number of hours worked without experiencing a
lost-time injury or illness. The required number of hours is dependent upon the
number of employees.
According
to a recent report from the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Kentucky employers reported the lowest
incident rate for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the state’s
history.
Based on a mathematical calculation that describes the number
of recordable incidents per 100 full-time employees, Kentucky’s rate improved
from 3.7 in 2015 to 3.4 in 2016, reflecting the latest available data. This
rate has steadily declined since it was first calculated in 1996, when a rate
of 8.4 was reported.
For
more information on the Governor’s Safety and Health Award, click here.
Follow
the Kentucky Labor Cabinet on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates.
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