Auburn Consolidated Industries, Inc. Honored for 20 Years of Safety Excellence

July 15, 2005

The Nebraska Workforce Development, Department of Labor recently honored Auburn Consolidated Industries, Inc. (ACI) for achieving 20 consecutive years of excellence in the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)—the first and only company to achieve such an honor.

More than seven million companies are eligible for SHARP consideration, only 800 have fulfilled the criteria to be accepted since the program's inception in 1985. Of those 800, ACI was the first business to receive the SHARP Award and has participated in the program longer than any other company in the United States.

"With safety and health as the top priorities at ACI, we've created and maintained a clean, safe and healthy environment for our employees to work. This certainly has benefited us in the hiring market and allowed us to retain top-quality people. These individuals like to work where they know their company cares about their well-being and is willing to invest whatever necessary to ensure their safety," said Jeff Gerdes, Safety Coordinator at ACI.

To earn SHARP certification, companies must meet several requirements. They must demonstrate a strong commitment to workplace safety and health as reflected in reduced occupational injury/illness experiences and the development of a safety and health management program.

Once a company achieves SHARP recognition, they are removed from OSHA's routine inspections for one year. Employers who continue meeting the requirements will be exempted for two, one-year periods upon their second renewal for as long as they choose to participate.

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman presented ACI with a plaque recognizing their achievement July 14, 2005, at the ACI facility in Auburn, Neb.

An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) since 1976 for companies such as Honda, Kubota, Case New Holland and John Deere, ACI employs 250 people and manufactures EverRide and Great Dane commercial lawn mowers.