Univance earns Governor’s Safety and Health Award

Winchester business has more than 726,000 hours without a lost-time incident

WINCHESTER, Ky. (Sept. 29, 2014) — Secretary Larry L. Roberts of the Kentucky Labor Cabinet today presented the Governor’s Safety and Health Award to employees of Univance Inc. in Winchester. The honor recognizes employees for working 726,244hours without a lost-time accident or illness.

“The role of safety in a manufacturing facility cannot be understated, and the employees at Univance in Winchester understand that importance,” said Roberts. “Univance deserves this award, and as a SHARP company, this reinforces the value the management and the employees place on safety.”

Univance is a subsidiary of Univance Corp., which is headquartered in Japan and is an automotive parts manufacturer for passenger and industrial vehicles. The facility in Winchester produces forklift transmissions, differentials and component parts for all-terrain vehicles and utility task vehicles, as well as transfer assembly and automotive companion flanges.

In Winchester since 1997, the company doubled the facility’s size in 2012 and is now undergoing another expansion. Univance has been in the Labor Cabinet’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) since 2009, and is one of only 21 active facilities with such a designation. The SHARP status requires injury rates below the national average, a comprehensive evaluation and series of audits, correction of all identified hazards and effective safety and health programs.

The Kentucky Labor Cabinet presents the Governor’s Safety and Health Award in recognition of outstanding safety and health performance. An establishment may qualify for the award if its employees together achieve a required number of hours worked without experiencing a lost-time injury or illness. The required number of hours is dependent upon the number of employees. In the case of Univance, the requirement is 500,000.

Every establishment within the geographical boundaries of Kentucky is eligible, even if the establishment achieved the award the previous year. Eligibility is limited to one award during a 12-month period of time.