AKRON (May 17, 2013) — Myers Industries Inc. has been awarded an Inside Business Manny Award as a safety leader in the manufacturing industry.
The Manny Award program, presented by Great Lakes Publishing, recognizes manufacturing ingenuity in Northeast Ohio, honoring companies that excel in areas such as product development, green initiatives and workplace environment, Myers said. Winners are "forward-thinking innovators who help strengthen the future of local manufacturing," the company added.
Myers said it received the award "thanks to proper management of company operations, which hold potential risks to employee safety. These risks include maneuvering large plastic and rubber products, handling manufacturing equipment, the use of hand held tools such as wrenches and knives, and ergonomic risk factors such as lifting, pushing and pulling."
Myers President and CEO John C. Orr said that "personal safety has been and will continue to be a high-priority for all of the Myers facilities."
Strong management commitment and a clear vision for safety are the driving forces behind the company safety initiatives, Myers said in a press release. Management team members conduct regular visits to each manufacturing location "to engage managers, supervisors and employees in cultural safety discussions."
The company also conducts comprehensive machine safeguarding training, and noted that action items have been identified, priorities addressed and objective-based instruction has been implemented—extending training beyond the new hire orientation and regulatory required training.
Qualified trainers instruct and certify hourly employees on safety, quality, production and the environmental key points of their job. Consequently, Myers said the company "has dramatically reduced the number of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defined recordable injuries between 2006 and 2012,"a with the ultimate goal being zero recordable injuries.
Myers manufactures polymer products for industrial, agricultural, automotive, commercial and consumer markets. The company also is a wholesale distributor of tools, equipment and supplies for the tire, wheel, and undervehicle service industry in the U.S. through its Myers Tire Supply subsidiary.