Dorothy Berniard Bergeron
June 16, 2008Betty Smith Alton
June 18, 2008
John Deere Thibodaux Inc. received a national Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) award, recognizing it as one of the safest workplaces in the country.
The award was given during an on-site ceremony last Wednesday.
Francis Richard, the facility’s operations manager, said the employees deserve a lot of the credit for helping to make the facility safe.
“Thanks to our employees’ actions, we have moved John Deere Thibodaux from a facility with average safety performance to its status as a model company for workplace safety and health.”
The award is designed to provide incentives and support to employers to develop, implement and improve the safety and health programs at their work sites. Employers who meet certain SHARP requirements are exempt from OSHA enforcement inspections.
The facility joins other SHARP award winners across the country in achieving injury and illness rates below the national average. It was because of the company’s partnership with workplace safety consultants from the Louisiana Department of Labor that it qualified for the award.
According to Secretary of Labor Tim Barfield, it is important that companies like John Deere help to develop and implement an exemplary safety and health management system for its employees.
“With the help of our workplace safety consultants, businesses like John Deere Thibodaux are working more safely and also saving money by doing so,” Barfield said. “Acceptance into SHARP is an achievement that singles out employers as a model for workplace safety and health.”
John Deere Thibodaux employs more than 450 people and is a subsidiary of Deere and Company. The 600,000-square-foot facility produces sugar cane harvesters, landscape loaders and earth-moving scrapers.
“We are extremely pleased and proud to accept this special award,” said Daryl Schloz, general manager and president of John Deere Thibodaux. ” This recognition acknowledges the ongoing efforts our employees have made toward safety awareness and the excellent safety and business results they have achieved. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the Louisiana Department of Labor to make this happen.”
A large part of the success goes to the introduction of a continuous improvement program that the company introduced in 2007. After the program was launched, John Deere Thibodaux’s recordable injury rate dropped 62 percent, according to the facility’s safety and environmental manger, Dewey Gravois.
The on-site consultation program is a free and confidential service funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. Workplace safety consultants with the Louisiana Department of Labor administer the on-site consultation.
Louisiana Department of Labor Assistant Secretary for the Office of Workers’ Compensation Chris Broadwater presents the SHARP flag to Daryl Schloz, general manager and president of John Deere Thibodaux. The company was recognized as one of the safest workplaces in the U.S. * Photo courtesy of the La. Dept. of Labor.
