Award presentations were made at a special reception held on Tuesday, June 10 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Watch the video of the presentations.)

WINNER OF SAFETY PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: Idaho National Laboratory

Criteria: The Safety Program of the Year Saxcie™ is awarded to an organization's health and safety program for excellence in one or more of the following areas: on- and off-the-job safety training, culture and awareness building, use of technology, employee involvement, communication, supervisory leadership, performance measurement, auditing, accident investigation, committee involvement and leadership, rehabilitation and return to work.

The Winner: Idaho National Laboratory (INL)

Profile: Located in southeast Idaho, INL conducts research on sustainable energy and homeland security. Because its facilities are spread out over nearly 900 square miles and because of its work with nuclear power, INL has recognized its unique stewardship over the environment, as well as its commitment to the health and safety of its approximately 3,800 scientists, engineers, technicians and support personnel.

The INL health and safety/environmental program is characterized by innovation and infused with a sense of moral and social responsibility. INL program aspects notable for their excellence include:

Community Outreach: INL has received nearly half a dozen awards for its involvement in the health, safety and environmental conservation of the local community. Outreach programs include:

Adoption of Voluntary Standards: INL sites have achieved ISO 14001 certification and OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) recognition.

In short, INL commitment to local schools, farmers, families and the environment makes it the kind of corporate citizen any community would like to host; and its commitment to the health and safety of workers on and off the job make it the kind of employer any worker would like to work for.

Congratulations to INL for your well deserved Saxcie™ Award!

WINNER OF SAFETY HERO OF THE YEAR: Juan Trillo

Criteria: The Safety Hero of the Year is awarded to an individual who demonstrates an extraordinary personal commitment to safety both inside and outside the workplace or who personifies the attributes in a single act of workplace heroism.

The Winner: Juan Trillo of Fluor/Trend Western

Profile:

On Friday, May 4, Juan Trillo, a heavy-truck driver for Trend Western, was 90 miles from completing his delivery of construction equipment, when he witnessed a highway accident. Two vehicles - a Ford pick-up truck with attached trailer and a Dodge Caravan - had collided in the lane ahead of him.

The pick-up truck was quickly engulfed in flames, with the driver trapped inside.

Juan sprang into action immediately and ran to the burning vehicle. Two other men ran to help, but the truck's doors were crushed. They couldn't open them. With Juan's calm instructions, they were able to pull the driver out through the window of the burning vehicle and carried him to safety, where a trained medical technician began first aid.

Knowing the man was safe and in good hands, Juan then quietly got back into his truck and drove away.

When asked about the accident and his response to it, Juan simply stated that he was just "doing what anyone would have done."

WINNER OF SAFETYXCHANGE CONTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR: Barry R. Weissman

Criteria: The heartbeat of SafetyXChange is made up of the articles and insights contributed by its members. This year, we created a special Saxcie™ award to recognize these contributions. The SafetyXChange Contributor of the Year award will go to an outstanding member who has distinguished him/herself through service to the SXC community, sharing timely and meaningful articles, actively participating in the forum or some other form of sharing that has contributed to the success of our community as a whole. And SafetyXChange Members got to select the winner.

The Winner: Barry R. Weissman REM, CSP, CHMM, CHS-IV, CIPS

Profile: Barry is Vice President with the Hillmann Group, in Union, NJ and is Director of the Hillmann Institute of Training. He’s a member of ASSE, ACHMM, AIHA and NFPA and is also an active member of the SafetyXChange Advisory Board. Since he joined the Advisory Board in 2005, Barry has:

Barry’s a wealth of information and the SafetyXChange staff and the SafetyXChange community are grateful to him for sharing so generously. Thank you!

WINNERS OF SAFETY TRAINER OF THE YEAR: Laureen Bertling and Thomas E. Kramer

This category recognizes individual success and leadership in the field of safety training. When selecting the winner, judges were looking for one or more of the following qualities: Innovation, originality, outstanding communication skills, capacity to make maximum use of minimum resources, capacity to involve employees, humor, empathy, the ability to simplify technically challenging material, and any other quality that makes a person a great trainer.

The Winners: It's a tie between:

Profile: Thom Kramer has successfully educated hundreds of maintenance workers and safety personnel. According to the nominator, Thom is especially effective as a trainer by fostering the development of participants' insights and skills that will help them develop and implement their own comprehensive, cost-effective and attainable fall hazard control program.

The most impressive aspect of Thom's training ability is his aptitude for making a very complex and overwhelming subject understandable and practical.

While it seems that many training programs these days are highly focused on regulatory requirements, Thom provides customized, original information that is specific to identifying and abating the fall hazards presented to each participant. Throughout the training, key concepts are continually reinforced with relevant case studies, which makes all of the material more vivid and relatable.

* * * * * * * * *

Profile: Laureen has a devotion and commitment to a safe and effective program that works. According to the nominator's essay, she has created a solid safety culture that is reflected in numbers, but more importantly in the morale of our workers. And this morale is reflected in the second nomination that Laureen received:

"I want to talk about an incredibly kind person who made a difference in my life. She is our safety lady. I am an alcoholic. I am clean and sober and alive because Laureen took the time to help. She called my family back east and the detox center and had me in the same day. I am older than most and younger than a few. I have never met someone so dedicated to her belief in the safety, health and well being of her co-workers.

"I am not the only one she has helped, but I want to speak up for all of us whom she has gone beyond her duty to help. Sometimes you got to think outside the box with your safety program. Laureen looks at everything in a whole way and tries to make our job a better brighter workplace. Thank you Laureen from all of us. We love you.

Congratulations to two outstanding Safety Trainers!

WINNER OF THE HENSHAW AWARD FOR CORPORATE LEADERSHIP IN SAFETY: The US Bureau of Engraving and Printing

William Brabitz of The US Bureau of Engraving and Printing, 2008 Recipient of the Henshaw Award for Corporate Leadership in Safety.

Criteria: The John Henshaw Saxcie™ is awarded to an organization that demonstrates superior leadership in workplace health and safety by integrating health and safety into its essential business mission, using safety to define and measure business success and exhibiting vision, commitment, transparency and employee engagement to achieve sustainable health and safety performance.

The Winner: The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP).

Profile: The BEP is a money making operation. Literally. These are the folks who manufacture U.S. currency as well as other important documents such as passports, White House invitations and Medal of Honor Certificates. BEP integrates a number of sophisticated crafts and operations including ink making, engraving, plate making, offset and intaglio printing, product inspection, packaging and shipping and storage. Highlights of the BEP safety program:

Communication: BEP management has come up with more than a dozen ways to communicate to employees and their unions with regard to safety, from bulletin boards to the Bureau's own TV network, "Bureau News Network." Safety is also part of the retinue of each Directorate Point of Contact, or liaison officer.

Management Commitment: All companies measure lost workdays. If you want to know how truly committed a company is to safety, you need to see what happens to these data. More specifically, you need to ask whether these data go to the upper layers of management. At BEP, the goal of reducing lost workdays through the implementation of specific management systems is an integral part of the CFO Performance and Accountability Report.

Accountability/Audits: Health and safety is a criterion used to evaluate the performance of all employees. Senior management is also held accountable and must submit publicly available reports on strategic plans, commitments and progress toward safety goals.

Employee Involvement: BEP actively encourages employees to participate in health and safety initiatives both individually and through the Bureau's Joint Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Committee. Safety is also an ever present item on the agenda of the Joint Labor Council made up of the 17 unions that represent BEP employees in collective bargaining. Ad Hoc Problem Solving Teams are established to respond to workers' safety concerns.

Training/Technology: Safety training at BEP combines state of the art web-based online programs with good old fashioned face-to-face training sessions. The online training elements are tracked via use of a training matrix tailored to the particular duties of each employee. Once a course is completed, the employee receives a certificate of completion. In FY 2007, 1,556 BEP employees completed OSHA required and best practices safety training using the Bureau's "On Line Training Network."

Off-the-Job Safety: Like any progressive organization, BEP recognizes that health and safety concerns don't end when workers complete their shifts. BEP has come up with some ingenious ways to promote off the job safety including allowing workers to take their PPE home and hosting Open Houses and Health and Safety Fairs for workers and their families.

Winners of the Henshaw award are committed to safety not because the law requires it or the unions demand it but because they recognize that such commitment is at the heart of business and human performance. The BEP is a perfect embodiment of this value.

The SafetyXChange would like to humbly suggest that the Bureau take the five-page essay it submitted describing its safety performance and engrave it, print it out and distribute it to other companies as mandatory reading.

Congratulations to BEP for representing the highest ideals of workplace safety and receiving this well deserved Saxcie™ Award!