N.C. Hunt, a lumber mill on Rt. 215 in Jefferson, received three outstanding safety awards from the Northeast Lumber Manufacturers Association (NeLMA) for their accident-free work in 2009.
A representative from NeLMA presented the awards to company officials on Oct. 28 during a barbecue at the mill. The awards were officially announced in May at NeLMA’s annual conference, but N.C. Hunt was unable to attend.
“We’re very proud of the crew,” said N.C. Hunt owner Norman Hunt. “Everybody here helped us win this.”
The company won first place in Planing Mill Safety, second place in Sawmill Safety and first place for Overall Safety for medium-sized mills in New England.
N.C. Hunt had no lost-time injuries in 2009. The awards are determined by comparing the number of lost-time injuries to the number of man-hours worked at the mill. N.C. Hunt won a NeLMA safety award once before, six or seven years ago, Hunt said.
“This means their safety program is working,” said Don Pendergast, Lumber Inspection Program Coordinator for NeLMA, who attend the barbecue to present the awards. “Any time that everybody goes home with all their moving parts, it’s a good thing.”
N.C. Hunt, which has 75 employees, has gone the last 158 days with out a lost-time injury, Hunt said, and they hope to have a shot at breaking their previous record for injury-free time: 891 days.
Safety is a major cost-saver for the company, and a personal issue, “to make sure everybody goes home to their families in one piece,” Hunt said.
“Safety is the first thing we emphasize every morning,” Hunt said. The company has a regular bingo game that they use to promote safety, as well as other incentives for employees who follow safety regulations.
