PaperWorks Wabash Mill Logs One Million Accident-Free Hours
While Sunday is a day of rest, it also was a red-letter day for the PaperWorks mill in Wabash, Ind. The plant logged its one millionth consecutive hour without an accident on July 31.
“This is a very rare and impressive accomplishment for not only our industry, but any industry,” said Joe Atkinson, director of safety at PaperWorks. “Setting this kind of safety record in two years is nothing short of amazing.”
Atkinson was the initiator of a company-wide safety program that was implemented across the company’s mills in 2009, and has since begun being instituted in its other facilities.
“Mill management and staff have really taken ownership of plant safety,” Atkinson said. “This is an accomplishment shared by everyone here, and only the first of many millions of incident-free hours to come.”
“Safety is a core value at PaperWorks. Achieving over two years without a lost time incident and over a million man-hours without a recordable incident can only happen with the attention and actions of all mill employees,” said Fred Kalakay, general manager of the Wabash Mill. “These results are supported by a common-sense approach to the development of safety standards, communications, actions and audits, with a mill safety committee that has allowed employees to build a safety culture based on care and awareness. The safety journey does not end here … we must always safeguard against complacency and recognize that safety requires full-time attention.”
Founded in 2008, PaperWorks Industries, Inc. is a leading North American integrated full-service packaging provider. The company’s Packaging Group is considered a leading innovator in the production of specialized folding cartons, serving clients of all sizes across North America from 11 facilities. Its Paperboard Group manufactures approximately 300,000 tons of 100 percent recycled paperboard every year for a variety of end uses, and further specializes in the cutting and distribution of all paper types according to specific customer needs. PaperWorks Industries is headquartered in Philadelphia. It is home to more than 1,850 employees across 18 North American locations with annual sales in excess of $600 million.
For more information, visit www.paperworksindustries.com.
- People:
- Fred Kalakay
- Joe Atkinson
- Places:
- Philadelphia
- Wabash, Ind.