Dean Foods, Among Others, Recognized as Leader in Worker Safety
The International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, D.C., named 144 dairy operations to receive IDFA Dairy Industry Safety Recognition Awards and Achievement Certificates this year. This is the eighth year that IDFA has sponsored the program, which highlights the outstanding worker-safety records of U.S. dairy companies.
Among those rewarded for superior worker safety is Dean Foods Co., Dallas, who received 69 total awards.
“Quality and safety are our highest priorities, and we strive for continuous improvement — in our plants, on the road, at our customer locations and in our offices,” says Mike Ahart, vice president of transportation for Dean Foods.
The award program includes categories for both processing facilities and trucking operations in the dairy industry. In addition to the 32 processing category award winners, IDFA awarded achievement certificates to 24 processing operations for having no injury cases that resulted in lost time away from work. IDFA also recognized 88 trucking operations, more than double the number last year, for having a Zero DART rate, or zero cases with days away from work, restriction or job transfer in 2010.
The operations for each nominated company were judged solely on specific data required by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on the facility’s “Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses” report. This year’s award decisions were based on data from OSHA reports for the 2010 calendar year.
Processing facilities were judged in four product categories — natural and processed cheese; dry, condensed and evaporated products; ice cream and frozen desserts; and fluid milk. Within each product category, IDFA accepted nominations for small, medium and large facilities that achieved the best overall safety performance rates based on the OSHA data.
“The number of participants jumped dramatically this year, demonstrating that dairy companies and their employees are proud to receive these awards each year. Their continued positive response just serves to highlight the intense commitment to worker safety within the dairy industry,” says Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs. “IDFA congratulates all the participants on their hard work, dedication and superior level of achievement.”
Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Adrian, Mich.; Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Fort Morgan, Colo.; Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Monett, Mo.; Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Turlock, Calif.; Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Zumbrota, Minn.
Foremost Farms USA, Clayton, Wis.; Foremost Farms USA, Marshfield, Wis.;Foremost Farms USA, Preston, Minn.; Foremost Farms USA, Waumandee, Wis.; The Dannon Co., Inc., Minster, Ohio.
Dean Foods Co. of California, ice cream plant, Buena Park, Calif.; Dean Foods Co., WhiteWave Foods, Bridgeton, N.J.; Kemps LLC, Franklin milk plant, Duluth, Minn.; HP Hood LLC, Rosenberger’s Dairy, Hatfield, Pa.; Hunter Farms/Harris Teeter, High Point, N.C.
The Kroger Co., Layton Dairy, Layton, Utah; The Kroger Co., Pace Dairy Foods of Indiana, Crawfordsville, Tenn.; The Kroger Co., Southern Ice Cream Specialties, Marietta, Ga.; The Kroger Co., Tamarack Farms Dairy, Newark, Ohio; The Kroger Co., Westover Dairy, Lynchburg, Va.
Nestlé Canada Inc., London Manufacturing, Canada; Nestlé USA Inc., Dreyer’s ice cream Salt Lake operations center, Salt Lake City, Utah; Nestlé USA Inc., Dreyer’s ice cream Tulare operations center, Tulare, Calif.; Safeway Inc., Phoenix ice cream plant, Phoenix, Ariz.; Saputo Cheese USA Inc., Monroe, Wis.; Wells Enterprises, Inc., St. George, Utah.