WELL DONE:.
Kimberly-Clark employees at the Huntsville mill operation were presented with the company’s first-ever Crystal Eagle Award Friday morning, in recognition of its commitment to safety.
HUNTSVILLE - Good news at one of the town’s leading manufacturers.
The Kimberly-Clark Corporation mill in Huntsville celebrated the facility’s first Crystal Eagle Award with a ceremony honouring its 200 team members for their commitment to safety.
Operation vice-president of family care product supply Dave Faddis was in attendance to present the company’s Crystal Eagle award recognizing one year without a reportable injury. Huntsville mill manager Dave Bernd, the mill leadership team and local dignitaries congratulated team members and reflected on this outstanding safety achievement.
The company stated in a press release announcing the award that safety is a core value of Kimberly-Clark and is based upon the deeply held belief that its team members are its greatest asset.
“No production goal, cost- or time-saving measure, financial target or competitive advantage is ever worth a human life or injury of any kind,” states a release issue by the company.
As Bernd has consistently told all team members, “It is our responsibility to have each and every one of our team members go home at the end of their workday to kiss and hug their family members.”
In the past year, the Huntsville mill has undergone a dramatic culture change with an emphasis on establishing safety standards and personal accountability through an unwavering commitment of all team members. Leadership of the mill has shifted from loss control management to the production floor through the perseverance and leadership of the entire mill but more specifically three hourly team members, Charlie Hamilton, Erin Gaughan and Arlie Gilpin.
The shift to putting safety first over productivity actually resulted in the mill maintaining and sometimes exceeding productivity goals.