LCI Inc. | News

For Immediate Release
Monday, May 15, 2006

SHARP safety award
presented to LCI Inc.

SANFORD — LCI Inc. joined a select group of small employers today, when the organization received a national SHARP award for operating a model occupational safety program.

SHARP, 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 and letter of acknowledgement to LCI executive director Tammy Koger.

During his comments, Griffin said he enjoys working with small employers who have decided to be proactive in promoting health and safety. Though the annual industrial average is 4.1 reportable injuries per 100 employees, he said, LCI has registered an average of just one over the last three years.

"LCI," Griffin said, "is an outstanding place to work."

Before the ceremony ended, Griffin presented a SHARP flag to the LCI Safety Committee.

Also attending from the state labor department were John R. Bogner Jr., chief of the state Bureau of Consultive Services, and health compliance officer Scott Mabry.

Though many safety awards are presented across the state each year, Bogner said this one is different. Only 43 companies across North Carolina — and just two others in the Research Triangle Region — have received the distinction.

"The SHARP Award is one of the most prestigious awards, not just in North Carolina but in the entire U.S.," Bogner said. "This is not a paper award that is given. The company and its employees have to earn SHARP."

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 seven 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."

Also attending the presentation were Kim Auman, LCI's community rehabilitation specialist for vocational rehabilitation; Tim Kelly of The Clement Group; Kathy Klett of Selective Insurance, which insures LCI; Paul Backlund and Charles Neal of Trans-Matic Manufacturing Co.; and Jeanie Ellwood, the parent of one safety committee member.

Founded in 1967, LCI primarily serves residents of Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties. The nonprofit organization provides manufacturing assistance and trained employees for business and industry, helps people with disabilities enjoy their greatest possible independence, and produces a full range of trophies, awards and engraving.