Superior Essex and Weigand Construction Snag Governor's Awards

A huge congratulations to Chamber members Superior Essex Chemical Processing, and Weigand Construction Company, Inc., - the only two businesses in Fort Wayne to win the Governor's Workplace Safety Awards in 2010! The awards recognize companies who engage best practices for eliminating workplace injuries and illnesses and who make workplace safety and health a top priority. 

Superior Essex won the category for "Overall Safety for General Industry - Small Company." Their Award Bio says:

Operating 24 facilities worldwide, Superior Essex is a global leader in the design, manufacture and supply of wire and cable products.  The Fort Wayne Chemical Processing facility has developed an innovative safety and health approach called “Safety Contact,” which reinforces occupational safety and health-related conversations between managers, supervisors and front-line employees.  The company defines the “Safety Contact” innovation as “regularly and positively recognizing employees for safe behaviors he or she exhibits.”  Superior Essex’s Chemical Processing facility has not experienced an OSHA recordable injury or illness in the last three years.  Worker’s Compensation costs for this site for the past four years combined (2006 through 2009) were $352.

Weigand Construction won the category for "Overall Safety in Construction." Their Award Bio says:

Weigand Construction Co., Inc. of Fort Wayne, Indiana is the 2010 Governor’s Workplace Safety Award recipient for Overall Safety in Construction.  A rigorous 18-month on-the-job training program helps ensure that junior supervisors on Weigand Construction Co., Inc.’s jobsites keep worker safety and health in the forefront.  Weigand Construction has developed a training agenda which includes classroom instruction, on-the-job training and company mentoring.  Each junior supervisor attends an OSHA 30-hour outreach course, is involved with preparing and conducting jobsite toolbox safety meetings and shadowing senior Weigand employees in all functional areas.  This meticulous training program and attention to detail has assisted the company in reducing Worker’s Compensation claim costs from a recent four-year high of $93,572, reported in 2007, to $752, reported in 2009.  Additionally, in April of 2009, Weigand Construction Co., Inc. entered in a strategic occupational safety and health partnership with the Indiana Department of Labor for the construction of the  Parkview Regional Medical Center.