Today Steel Industries Inc., an Ameriforge Group Inc. company, received the prestigious SHARP Award for an exemplary safety and health management system at three of their facilities. Steel Industries is the first company in Michigan to receive SHARP Award recognition for three facilities at the same time.
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) established the Michigan Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) Award to recognize employers that have achieved safety and health excellence far beyond their peers. The MIOSHA program is part of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG).
“I am honored to recognize Steel Industries today for this outstanding safety and health achievement. You are truly one of Michigan’s ‘Economic All Stars,’” said DLEG Director Keith W. Cooley. “We welcome you into an elite group of companies who understand that focusing on worker safety up front is a sound business decision.”
DLEG Director Keith W. Cooley and MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski presented the SHARP Awards to David Heminger, President, Ameriforge Group Inc.; and Keith Woodland, President, Steel Industries Inc. All Steel Industries employees were on hand to celebrate their safety and health success. Senator Glenn S. Anderson (District 6) presented the company with a joint legislative tribute recognizing their achievement.
"Safety is both a corporate and an individual responsibility...and we all take this very seriously at Ameriforge,” said David Heminger, President, Ameriforge Group Inc. “I am thrilled that the fine safety record established by the men and women of Steel Industries is being appropriately acknowledged by our partners at MIOSHA."
The Michigan SHARP Program targets small, high-hazard employers–to help them develop, implement and continuously improve the effectiveness of their workplace safety and health management system. SHARP provides an incentive for employers to emphasize accident and illness prevention by anticipating problems, rather than simply reacting to them.
Three Steel Industries Plants Receive SHARP Award
The MIOSHA Onsite Consultation Program within the Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division operates the Michigan SHARP Program. Onsite consultants work with employers to help them become self-sufficient in managing occupational safety and health. SHARP worksites earn an exemption from “programmed” MIOSHA inspections on a yearly basis.
"This award is the culmination of a collaborative approach to safety and has benefited every employee of Steel Industries,” said Keith Woodland, President, Steel Industries Inc. “The expert assistance and consultation offered by MIOSHA has facilitated this achievement and helped make Steel Industries one of the safest forge shops in North America."
The company’s safety and health management system incorporates each of the seven required elements: Hazard Anticipation and Detection; Hazard Prevention and Control; Planning and Evaluation; Administration and Supervision; Safety and Health Training; Management Leadership; and Employee Participation.
Some of Steel Industries’ best practices include:
Weekly Safety Inspections;
Management of Change, as evidenced in a recent change in Powered Industrial Truck lift capacity;
Root Cause Investigation of all Incidents, whether it triggers a recordable injury or not;
Excellent Housekeeping, for this type of industry; and
Top Management and Employee Involvement on the Safety Committee.
“The Michigan SHARP Program requires a comprehensive consultation visit, and the correction of all serious workplace safety and health hazards,” said MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski. “Steel Industries has developed a safety and health system that provides outstanding protection for their workers.”
With nearly a century of forging excellence, Steel Industries Inc., an Ameriforge Group Inc. company, is a full service open die forging and seamless rolled ring manufacturer. The company is comprised of five operating facilities with offices, manufacturing and warehousing facilities located in Redford Township and Livonia, and employs a total of 198 workers.
Steel Industries is ISO 9001-2000 certified, and provides forged product solutions for the power generation, aerospace, industrial, oil and gas, mining, construction, and transportation industries. In January 2007, they completed a $12 million expansion project to upgrade their product offering and further expand capabilities for the power generation and aerospace markets.
Ameriforge Group Inc. is a manufacturer of forged products, dedicated to growing with select customers and suppliers through collaboration in process and technical innovation, applied to global markets. Ameriforge provides complete forged product solutions — fully integrating design, forging, heat-treating, precision machining, specialized welding, component assembly, and testing. The company serves a variety of markets and is organized into three distinct market focused business segments: (1) Connectors and Sealing Technology, (2) Power Generation and Aerospace, and (3) Transportation and Industrial.
