Sargent and Greenleaf awarded Governor’s Safety and Health Award

811,573 consecutive hours without a lost time injury or illness

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 10, 2017) — Sargent and Greenleaf in Nicholasville today was presented a Governor’s Safety and Health Award for working 811,573 consecutive hours without a lost time injury or illness.

Founded in 1865, Sargent and Greenleaf is a manufacturer of medium and high security locks and locking systems. Founder James Sargent invented the “Magnetic Bank Lock,” the first key-changeable combination lock that gained near immediate acceptance from safe manufacturers, and in 1960, the U.S. Treasury adopted Sargent’s Magnetic Bank Lock as its standard.  Today, the Nicholasville facility is the company’s global headquarters, housing 113 employees and is identified as a Top Secret security clearance facility from the Department of Defense.

It was the fifth time that the Nicholasville facility has received the Governor’s Health and Safety Award. It also won in 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2016. According to safety coordinator Stephanie Potts, employees engage in monthly safety meetings to review proper protocols. Employees are also encouraged to participate in a safety incentive program that helps to reward those who demonstrate an exceptional workplace safety track record.

The Kentucky Labor Cabinet presents the Governor’s Safety and Health Award to highlight outstanding safety and health performance in Kentucky’s workplaces. A business may qualify for the award if its employees 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.

According to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2015 Kentucky employers reported the lowest incident rate for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the state’s history.

Based on a mathematical calculation that describes the number of recordable incidents per 100 full-time employees, Kentucky’s rate improved from 3.8 in 2014 to 3.7 in 2015 – reflecting the most recent data available. This rate has steadily declined since it was first calculated in 1996, when a rate of 8.4 was reported.