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UniFirst Facility Logs Million Hours Without Lost-Time Accident

OWENSBORO, Ky. — A 320,000-square-foot warehousing and distribution center operated by UniFirst Corp. has earned a safety award that few Kentucky businesses qualify for, the company says.
The central work apparel and uniform distribution hub for more than 200 UniFirst locations in the United States and Canada has operated 1 million hours without a lost-time accident. It will receive the Governor’s Safety and Health Award during the Kentucky Safety and Health Conference on May 6.
Less than 1% of the more than 317,000 businesses in the Bluegrass State qualify for the award each year.
Dana Wilson, UniFirst’s human resource manager, says health and safety are top priorities, so the company is particularly proud of receiving the recognition.
“We have a huge building with 300 employees on two shifts working with all types of moving machinery,” Wilson says. “Our employees are working with conveyor belts; they’re running embroidery, engraving and silk-screening equipment; and packing, weighing and shipping an average of 1 million pieces of work apparel every month. There are always opportunities for mishaps.”
Wilson oversees more than 50 safety tools and programs that run year-round, including an “ergonomics team” that studies the layouts of workstations, stretching sessions for employees, and even a postcard initiative that involved mailing safety tips to employees.
“Without the dedication of all our ‘Team Partner’ employees, this accomplishment would not have been possible,” Wilson says. “I’d like to congratulate each and every one of them for keeping health and safety a top-of-mind issue. Their commitment helps build a solid business foundation and enables us to serve our uniform customers in a timely manner.”
 

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