LCI Inc. was recognized recently with a SHARP Award, presented by state labor officials for LCI’s exemplary workplace safety and health management system.

The commendation, named using an acronym for the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program, is awarded by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It recognizes small employers nationwide who create and maintain an exemplary safety and health management system.

Officials from the North Carolina Department of Labor traveled to Sanford for a ceremony marking the occasion. During the presentation, safety consultant Roger Griffin presented a certificate to LCI associate director, Sue Marshburn.

To qualify, companies must undergo a rigorous hazard identification survey and correct any hazards identified. They also must conduct an exemplary health and safety management system, reduce workplace injuries below the national average and agree to notify state officials when new potential hazards are introduced into the workplace.

Once SHARP recognition is awarded, companies are granted a one-year exemption from scheduled OSHA inspections and may be eligible to have the exemption extended for up to two more years.

Workplace safety has always been a primary concern at LCI, according to associate director Sue Marshburn, who monitors the company’s occupational safety program. While she’s very happy about receiving the SHARP award, Marshburn said it’s simply another logical step in LCI’s ongoing goal to protect people who are so valuable to the company’s success.

“We’re committed to safety throughout the entire organization, on and off the industrial floor,” she said. “We’ve already been recognized by the state Department of Labor for working eleven years without an accident and we participate regularly in workshops conducted by the Mid-State Safety Council.

“Our people and our reputation are very important to us.”