Two County Employers Recognized for Workplace Safety

August 15, 2013

Maine Woods and Fraser Timber earn SHARP certification

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 15, 2012
Contact: Julie Rabinowitz, 207-621-5009

AUGUSTA?Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette announced that Maine Woods and Fraser Timber have both earned the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program Award (SHARP). This certification recognizes businesses that voluntarily undertake a rigorous safety achievement program.

?Employers earn SHARP recognition by operating their facility under exemplary safety and health management standards,? said Governor Paul R. LePage. ?I congratulate congratulate these Aroostook County employers?Maine Woods and Fraser Timeber. When businesses and workers partner to make safety a priority, everyone benefits.?

Acceptance into SHARP by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes each business as a model for worksite safety and health standards.

?We congratulate Maine Woods and Fraser Timber for becoming certified,? Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette said. ?These SHARP employers demonstrate the importance of focusing on worker safety,? she explained. ?They know that better safety means less lost time due to injury and illness as well as lower workers? comp costs.?

To qualify for SHARP, companies must undergo a comprehensive audit, correct all hazards identified during an onsite health and safety consultation, demonstrate that effective safety and health programs are in place and maintain injury rates below the industry average for the last year of completed data. After awarding the SHARP designation, OSHA will remove Maine Woods and Fraser Timber from its general scheduled inspection list for two years. If the companies continue to meet all conditions of the program, the SHARP designation may be renewed for another two years.

Fewer than 2,000 worksites in the United States have earned SHARP certification.

Employers interested in learning more about becoming a SHARP worksite should contact SafetyWorks! at 1-877-SAFE 345 (1-877-723-3345) or www.safetyworksmaine.com . SafetyWorks! provides a trained consultant with industry-specific expertise who will review the facility by appointment. The consultation may include such elements as recognizing safety hazards, sampling for air and noise exposures, recommending ways to reduce or to eliminate hazards, developing or improving a safety program, complying with federal OSHA regulations and identifying training needs.

SafetyWorks! is not OSHA and cannot issue fines or citations to private businesses. While SafetyWorks! helps businesses of any size, priority is given to small businesses. The program trains about 8,000 people and consults at nearly 1,000 worksites in Maine each year.

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