The Washington, D.C.-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said it recognized 41 dairy companies for their outstanding achievements in worker safety in 2019 with the IDFA Dairy Industry Safety Recognition Award. This is the 16th year that IDFA has sponsored this program.

“These awards continue to demonstrate that safety is the dairy industry’s number one priority,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO. “Each awardee is a shining example of how to implement innovative and proactive approaches to workplace safety. Year after year, dairy companies go above and beyond to provide a safe and productive work environment. Consumers and customers of dairy foods companies value how these innovations help to deliver safe, wholesome and nutritious food to people around the world.”

Each company applied by detailing its occupational injury and illness performance rates, as well as providing a narrative essay on safety efforts at the facility. Evaluations and awards were based on a review of injury statistics from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and judged by Peter Van Derlyke, Ph.D., director of environmental health and safety manager for HP Hood LLC; Daniel R. Flynn, a partner at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP; Kathie Canning, editor-in-chief of Dairy Foods magazine; Taylor Boone, IDFA coordinator of regulatory affairs; and Danielle Quist, IDFA’s senior director for regulatory affairs and counsel.

Criteria for success

The award program includes categories for both processing facilities and trucking operations in the dairy industry. In addition to 41 outstanding facility safety award winners, IDFA said it recognized seven companies with the Most Improved Facility award based on significant decreases in recordable-injury cases and the rate of days away from work, restrictions and transfers for each of the last two years compared to all other facilities that applied. IDFA also recognized several trucking operations for their outstanding safety records and programs.

“These awards go beyond recognizing just a number,” Van Derlyke said. “They represent organizations' understanding the importance of implementing a strong safety culture—a culture that doesn't focus solely on injury rates but instead focuses on educating, engaging and promoting all employees to actively participate in making their facility the safest they can for themselves and their coworkers.”

IDFA said it will issue a call for nominations for the next Dairy Industry Safety Recognition Awards competition in early 2020. 

“The dairy industry’s continued success relies on constant advancement and innovation in workplace safety,” said Boone.

2019 Facility Outstanding Record in Worker’s Safety Award winners

• Broughton Foods — Marietta, Ohio.
• Danone North America — Fort Worth, Texas.
• Dean Foods – Land of Lakes — Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Foremost Farms USA — Greenville, Mich.
• Foremost Farms USA — Milan, Wis.
• Foremost Farms USA — Reedsburg, Wis.
• Foremost Farms USA — Richland Center, Wis.
• Foremost Farms USA — Preston, Minn.
• Foremost Farms USA — Sparta, Wis.
• Gandy’s Dairies — Big Spring, Texas.
• Gandy’s Dairies — Brady, Texas.
• Gandy’s Dairies — Fort Stockton, Texas.
• Gandy’s Dairies — Odessa, Texas.
• Gandy’s Dairies — San Angelo, Texas.
• Hiland Dairy — Little Rock, Ark.
• Layton Dairy — Layton, Utah (fluid milk).
• Layton Dairy — Layton, Utah (ice cream).
• McArthur Dairy — Miami, Fla.
• Meadow Gold Dairy — Boise, Idaho.
• Michigan Dairy — Livonia, Mich.
• Midwest Ice Cream — Belvidere, Ill.
• Oak Farms — Atoka, Okla.
• Oak Farms — Lufkin, Texas.
• Oak Farms — Springfield, Mo.
• Oak Farms — Texarkana, Texas.
• Oak Farms — Uvalde, Texas.
• Oak Farms — Wichita Falls, Texas.
• Oak Farms — Wichita, Kan.
• Pace Dairy Foods Company — Rochester, Minn.
• Prairie Farms Dairy — O’Fallon, Ill.
• Prairie Farms Dairy — Springfield, Ill.
• Price’s Creameries — El Paso, Texas.
• Price’s Creameries — Roswell, N.M.
• Publix – Deerfield Dairy Plant — Deerfield Beach, Fla.
• Purity Dairies — Nashville, Tenn.
• Riverside Creamery — Riverside, Calif.
• Southern Foods Group, LLC — Hammond, La.
• Southwest Ice Cream — McKinney, Texas.
• Swan Island Dairy — Portland, Ore.
• Tolleson Dairy — Tolleson, Ariz.
• Westover Dairy — Lynchburg, Va.

2019 Most Improved Facilities

• Foremost Farms USA — Milan, Wis.
• Foremost Farms USA — Sparta, Wis.
• Hiland Dairy — Little Rock, Ark.
• HP Hood LLC — Concord, N.H.
• McArthur Dairy — Miami, Fla.
• Pace Dairy Foods Company — Rochester, Minn.
• Publix – Deerfield Dairy Plant — Deerfield Beach, Fla.

2019 Transportation Outstanding Record in Worker’s Safety Award winners

• 31 Logistics — Haines City, Fla.
• Cabot Creamery Coop, Inc. — Montpelier, Vt. (less than truckload).
• Cabot Creamery Coop, Inc. — Montpelier, Vt. (local trucking).
• Cabot Creamery Coop, Inc. — Montpelier, Vt. (long distance trucking).
• Darigold Fleet Operations — Portland, Ore.
• McArthur Dairy — West Palm Beach, Fla.