Alexandria, La. – (December 8, 2022) – The APA – The Engineered Wood Association visited RoyOMartin-Plywood and Oakdale-OSB on November 29, 2022, and honored the facilities with 2021 awards.
RoyOMartin-Plywood received the 2021 3-Year Safety Award in the Division I Plywood category. The award recognizes the truly world-class safety culture at the mill. Of the 14 mills in the category, Chopin’s WIR was 6.72 times lower than the other mills in the category. In addition, the Total Incident Rate (TIR) at the mill was 4.35 times lower than the average of all 14 plywood mills evaluated over the last three years.
“We are fortunate to have a team at Chopin that not only understands the importance of working safely but believes that all accidents can be prevented,” stated Vice President of Plywood Jeremy Burford. “We have earned the title of the Safest Plywood Mill in North America because of the focus of these great employees. We all believe in ZERO at Chopin!”
Plywood received a second award that morning from the APA, 1st place for the 2021 Annual Safety & Health Award in the Division I Plywood category. There were 18 mills in the division, and Chopin was the only one with a WIR lower than 6.0. The WIR for 2021 was more than five times lower than the average, and the TIR was less than half a point, all while working 2.74 times the average hours of all plywood mills evaluated.
“At RoyOMartin, safety is a core value, and we believe that safety begins with each of our team members,” Vice President of Environmental, Safety, and Sustainability Natalie Monroe explained. “Each team member’s commitment to safety every moment is why our Chopin and Oakdale facilities were honored with these prestigious safety achievements. I extend my congratulations and thanks for their commitment.”
RoyOMartin Oakdale-OSB received 2nd place for the 2021 Annual Safety & Health Award in the Division II OSB category. There were 35 mills evaluated in the category, and Oakdale was one of only ten with a WIR of 0.00 in 2021! By achieving this WIR, Oakdale is a part of the Incident Free Honor Society for 2021, with only 13 other mills.
“The team at Oakdale takes great pride in our safety culture and works hard to continuously improve it,” says Oakdale-OSB Plant Manager Scott Townsend. “The passion around safety here is evidenced by the team’s daily approach to each task at work and at home and the personal safety interactions among the team. I’m very proud to see them recognized for their commitment to ZERO.”
Pictured is the RoyOMartin-Plywood Leadership Team with members of the RoyOMartin Strategic Action Leadership Team and representatives from the APA.
Pictured is the Oakdale-OSB Leadership Team with a representative from the APA and the RoyOMartin Strategic Action Leadership Team.
