Owens Corning has received the highest honor of the National Safety Council, the 2014 Green Cross for Safety medal. NSC presents the award annually to an organization with outstanding safety performance and a commitment to improving the quality of life in the communities where its employees work and live.
Over the past 12 years, Owens Corning has eliminated nearly 95 percent of recordable injuries, as defined by the United States Occupational Safety & Health Administration. The company’s operations include 90 manufacturing plants.
“We are honored to be recognized with the Green Cross for Safety medal from the National Safety Council,” said company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mike Thaman. “The journey to an injury-free workplace continues, but we take pride in what we’ve accomplished and this special recognition.
“Safety is a true indicator of not only manufacturing excellence, but also overall operating performance. Our success in keeping employees safe has set the bar for how we perform in the market and with our suppliers, customers and each other.”
“It is an honor for the Council to recognize Owens Corning with the Green Cross for Safety medal,” said Jeff Woodbury, NSC chairman of the board of directors. “Owens Corning exhibits safety leadership at all levels of the organization and demonstrates its commitment to safety by building successful partnerships to save lives and prevent injuries.”
Major milestones in Owens Corning’s safety journey have included:
- Engaging all employees in terms of owning and continuously improving safety processes.
- Adopting a safety stand globally with four principles:
- Our commitment to safety is unconditional,
- All accidents are preventable,
- Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and
- Working safety is a condition of employment.
- As injuries have been reduced, expanding efforts to assess and reduce risk.
- Banning employees’ use of cell phones for company business while driving.
Doug Pontsler, vice president of Environment, Health and Safety & Operations Sustainability, added, “Owens Corning’s commitment to safety is grounded in a fundamental caring for our people, in our people caring for one another. Employees work in way that demonstrates they want each and every one of their coworkers to return home as healthy as they came to work.”
