DANVILLE, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2017) – Labor Cabinet Workplace Standards Commissioner Ervin Dimeny visited National Office Furniture in Danville today to present a Governor’s Safety and Health Award for the 584,951 production hours worked without a lost-time incident by employees.
“I want to congratulate National Office Furniture in Danville on earning its first Governor’s Safety and Health Award,” Said Labor Secretary Derrick Ramsey. “Working over 580,000 hours without a lost-time injury is no small task. On behalf of Governor Bevin, it is my honor to congratulate you on this award in recognition of all the hard work and dedication that has made this achievement possible.”
Founded in 1980, National Office Furniture, a brand unit of Kimball International, Inc., is a Jasper, In.-based manufacturer of office furnishings servicing government agencies, hospitality and heath care sectors. National operates facilities in Santa Claus and Jasper, In.; and Fordsville and Danville, Ky.. National Office Furniture employs 1,200 nationwide with their local Danville branch now employing 200 employees.
“At National, we are very passionate about our vision of being injury free and receiving the Kentucky’s Governor’s Safety and Health Award is an honor,” said Mike Potter, plant manager. “This milestone demonstrates the commitment of our management team and the engagement of our employees to make good safe choices every day. However, it is just a milestone; we will continue our daily journey to be injury free. The real value of the award is knowing that our people worked safely for a half of a million hours!”
State Sen. Rick Girdler (Somerset) and State Rep. Daniel Elliott (Danville) also offered praise.
“National Office Furniture has taken every measure to ensure the safety and well-being of each individual employee,” Sen. Girdler said. “Kentucky needs more companies like this who so value their workforce. I congratulate them on this much-deserved award for 500,000 hours of consecutive employee health and safety.”
“I commend National Office Furniture for putting worker safety first and Governor Bevin for recognizing their tremendous efforts,” Rep. Elliott said. “Worker safety should always be a top priority for businesses, and I am happy National Office Furniture has taken the initiative to implement policies conducive to a safe working environment.”
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.
For more information on the Governor’s Safety and Health Award, click here.
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