Greeneville plant wins safety awards for sixth year running

The North Carolina Department of Labour has lavished two safety awards upon NACCO Materials Handling Group's manufacturing plant in Greeneville. The plant makes Yale and Hyster lift trucks, and they pipped the Linde forklift to both the Gold Safety Award and the Million Award; the sixth year in a row that they have taken home the trophies. Colin Wilson, the chief operating officer and president for NACCO Materials Handling Group Americas, said, Our employees are our greatest asset, and their safety is our top priority. These awards demonstrate that commitment and also speak to the dedication of our employees, who partner with us to promote a safe work environment.

The success of the Greeneville plant's devotion to safety means that it is now eligible to apply for the Carolina Star program. The program is designed to eliminate accidents, and honour effective safety protocol and management, and is a collaboration between the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Division, and the upper echelons of company management. The requirements for receiving the Gold Safety Award are stringent; there must be a clean record of no fatalities in the last twelve months, and the rate of minor accidents must be no less than 50 percent below the industry average. The Greeneville facility's rate was more than 70 percent below the average. The Million Hour award has a more straightforward criterion; the facility must clock up 1 million work hours without illness or injury requiring a day off.