Governor’s Awards Recognize Workplace Health And Safety Leaders

TRENTON - New Jersey's workplace safety leaders will be honored today at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino with the Governor's Occupational Safety and Health Awards honoring their long-term commitment to assuring the highest level of safety for workers in their industries.

"We salute these employers and employees for their dedication and ongoing efforts to make workplace health and safety a priority and a central element of their business culture," said Governor Jon S. Corzine. "Providing an environment of safety requires a combined effort among workers, employers, and those agencies charged with overseeing workplace safety and health standards. These are businesses who have maintained outstanding safety records for years."

This is the eightieth year that these awards have been presented to New Jersey businesses and their workers by the New Jersey State Safety Council and the New Jersey State Industrial Safety Committee along with the State Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The highest awards are the Governor's Awards to businesses whose commitment to worker health and safety is exemplified by safety records spanning more than four years.

This year, eight employers will receive the Governor's Award for the first time including Church & Dwight Co., Inc. - Princeton Cranbury Research and Development with more than 1.8 million hours over the past five years without a lost time accident or injury.

Other award winners include:

• Disposal Consultant Services -- Middlesex County
• Eli Inc. -- several sites in Union and Essex counties
• Western Solutions, Inc. - Middlesex County
• Covanta Warren Energy Resource Co., LP - Warren County
• Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. - Somerset County
• GE Healthcare - Middlesex County
• BASF Corporation - Morris County

Previous winners are eligible for the Governor's Continued Excellence Awards. These will be presented to 45 companies/facilities. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., in Nassau Park Campus, Princeton, has compiled the largest number of hours in this category with more than 13.6 million hours without a lost work day, dating back to December 11, 2000. The other winners include:

• Anderol Inc. - Morris County
• US Department of Labor/OSHA - two sites in Burlington and Middlesex counties
• Oxy Vinyls, LP - Salem County
• Main Steel Polishing Company, Inc. - two sites in Monmouth and Union counties
• Martin Sprocket & Gear, Inc. - Passaic County
• PSE&G - four sites in Essex, Hudson, Burlington, and Middlesex counties
• New Jersey American Water - six sites in Camden, Warren, Burlington, and Somerset counties
• Infineum USA L.P. - sites in Union County
• Basell USA Inc. - Middlesex County
• Tilcon NY, Inc. - sites in Warren and Passaic counties
• Educational Testing Service - Mercer County
• PolyOne Corporation - Salem County
• EPICOR, Incorporated - Union County
• Cumberland County Utilities Authority - Cumberland County
• Sandoz Inc. - Mercer County
• Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. - Gloucester County
• Baxter Healthcare Corporation - Camden County
• S.M. Electric Co., Inc. - Union County
• URS Corporation - Atlantic County
• E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Company - Middlesex County

The awards are another reflection of New Jersey's commitment to safe workplaces along with the latest workplace injury and illness rates (2006) that showed New Jersey's private sector rate of 3.6 cases per 100 full-time workers was well below the national rate of 4.4, and the sixth lowest rate in the nation.

"New Jersey continues to promote employer-employee safety committees to focus jointly on workplace safety and health. We can see from the records of these award winners how effective this commitment can be in protecting workers from hazards on the job," said Commissioner David J. Socolow of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

For more information on the safety awards visit http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lsse/employer/Governors_Awards.html or contact Joyce Crea at (609) 984-4738.

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Photos from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page.