Dave Landis, Keystone Safety/Compliance Coordinator, shows our certificate of approval for two more years.
Considering our line of work, a considerable achievement!
For the past ten years, one way Keystone has maintained its standing and status as a safe place to work is through participating in OSHA’s “Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program” (SHARP). On March 22, 2013, Keystone was once again awarded a certificate of recognition and was approved through March 21 of 2015.
The SHARP program is open to companies across the United States with less than 250 employees. It allows certified companies to forgo OSHA inspections for a period of two years at a time for exceeding government safety standards. They do this by focusing on three main disciplines: (1) the condition and safety status of the physical plant, (2) having a comprehensive, written safety plan, and (3) a thorough program of employee safety training.
In 2003, Keystone was one of only eight actively certified companies in Pennsylvania. Today there are more than fifty according to the United States Department of Labor web site. Dave Landis, Keystone’s Safety Compliance Coordinator says that SHARP certification is indicative of our company’s commitment. “Being a woodworking shop with more than 50 employees, most of whom work with the kind of machinery that cuts and mills wood into cabinet component parts, we consider this to be a major accomplishment.”
During its ten years of SHARP certification, Keystone has only had fifteen reportable injuries. “When you consider the number of employees we have, multiplied by the number of work days over ten years, that amounts to a record we are very proud of,” Landis adds. “It is a demanding program, but when it comes to the safety of our employees, without question it makes good sense, both economically and morally.”