FINDLAY, Ohio (Jan. 9, 2013) — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s Tupelo, Miss., passenger and light-truck tire plant is marking a safety milestone today — 2 million employee hours worked without a lost-time injury.
The Tupelo factory is Cooper's first plant in the U.S. to achieve the distinction. Last November the plant reached 1.5 million man hours worked without a lost-time injury, the Findlay-based tire maker said.
Tupelo Plant Manager Pat Jodon said the company is "extremely proud of our team in Tupelo for the uncompromising commitment to a safe work environment that everyone here shares. This major milestone could not have been reached without the effort of every employee at our facility placing a priority on safety each and every day.
"Achieving this historic mark clearly demonstrates that our proactive approach is helping deliver the highest standards of safety performance."
"Cooper Tire has established a zero-incident safety culture throughout the company, and our achievement in Tupelo is evidence that our commitment to safe processes and practices is something we live each day," said Chris Ostrander, president of the company's North America Tire Operations. "Cooper facilities are committed to a safe work environment and the highest standards of safety performance.
"We applaud the efforts of Tupelo and the efforts at all of our plants to continue to emphasize safety in everything we do."
In 2010 the Tupelo facility was one of 18 plants that earned the Rubber Manufacturers Association's Improvement award under its Safety and Health Improvement program.