Heaven Hill in Bardstown presented Governor’s Safety and Health Award

Employees completed over 1 million production hours without a lost time incident

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 1, 2017) – Gov. Matt Bevin and Labor Cabinet Secretary Derrick Ramsey visited Heaven Hill Brand Distilleries yesterday to present a Governor’s Safety and Health Award for working over 1 million production hours without a lost-time incident in the past 12 months.

“Working 1,000,000 hours in 12 months without any serious injury is truly remarkable and I would like to congratulate Heaven Hill Brands on earning their first Governor’s Safety and Health Award,” said Gov. Bevin. “It is an honor to recognize premier companies for their exceptional commitment to employees. Kentucky continues to shine as the center of excellence in engineering and manufacturing and, as our economic base grows, I appreciate companies like Heaven Hill who lead the way in keeping Kentucky workers safe and healthy.”

“Congratulations to Heaven Hill Brands on achieving their first Governor’s Health and Safety Award,” said Labor Cabinet Secretary Derrick Ramsey. “I appreciate their dedication to implement safe working habits, making them one of the 48 companies to earn this award. The Labor Cabinet’s top priority is to keep each of Kentucky’s workers safe on the job, and I applaud Heaven Hill for all their hard work towards this goal.”

Heaven Hill Brand Distillers is America’s largest family-owned distilled producer and marketer of Bourbon Whiskey and the world’s second largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Founded in Bardstown, Kentucky in 1935, Heaven Hill now employs over 600 workers nationwide with 12 diversified brands of bourbon and distilled spirits.

“Heaven Hill is committed to providing a safe place to work for all employees through training and preparation,” said Heaven Hill Health, Safety & Environmental Manager Kim Harmon. “We are proud to implement proactive programs that have developed into leading examples of best practices.”

“I congratulate Heaven Hill Brands for its commitment to employee safety and commend the company for its commitment to workplace excellence,” Senator Jimmy Higdon (R-Bardstown) said.

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), 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.

Additional information is available at http://labor.kentucky.gov.