2 more Haas Tire stores earn OSHA award

LINCOLN, Neb. (Aug. 3, 2016) — The Nebraska Department of Labor has recognized two T.O. Haas Tire retail stores in Lincoln under its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Award Program (SHARP) for their adherence to an “exemplary” safety and health management system.

“We've been working hard on reaching SHARP certification status at all of our stores,” said Haas Tire Owner and Safety Director Randy Haas. “We've identified hazards in the workplace, corrected them and significantly reduced job-related injuries.”

Haas Tire now has 14 SHARP-certified locations in Nebraska and four more in Kansas and Iowa. T.O. Haas is one of only nine employers in Nebraska that participate in the SHARP program.

“This certification is very important because of what it says about our commitment to the safety of our  employees and customers,” said George Hoellen, president of the Lincoln-based dealership.

“In order to stay in the program, we have to be recertified periodically, and the bottom line is that each and every day we want employees to go home to their families safe and healthy.”

Through SHARP, safety has become a key feature of the company's culture and is demonstrated by regularly scheduled safety meetings and inspections, Haas Tire said, where workers have an opportunity to voice their safety and health concerns and receive assurance that issues brought to the table will be resolved.

Haas Tire operates 25 retail tire and automotive service facilities in Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa.

A 2013 story in Tire Business noted that after the dealership faced penalties in 2007 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over an accident that resulted in an employee's death, company officials vowed to change the way Haas Tire's outlets operated. The changes led to several of the dealership's locations then receiving SHARP certification.

At the time, Mr. Hoellen said, “We've totally taken our safety program internally to another level, which has allowed us to be included in the SHARP program.''