The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) has presented nine of its 16 safety awards this year to Michelin manufacturing plants in the United States.

RMA recognized four Michelin sites with Excellence Awards for worker health and safety. They were the only facilities to receive this top distinction. The Michelin plants include: light truck and passenger plants in Lexington, South Carolina (US5), and Dothan, Alabama (US4), as well as the Michelin Tweel facility in Greenville, South Carolina (TWEEL), and a rubber mixing facility in Starr, South Carolina (US8).

RMA presented five Michelin plants with Improvement Awards, including: Ardmore, Oklahoma (US9); Asheboro, North Carolina (ASH-Oliver); Greenville, South Carolina (PRIME); Sandy Springs, South Carolina (US2); and Norwood, North Carolina. (US11).

RMA’s Safety and Health Improvement Program (SHIP), created in 1981, recognizes member companies for excellence and improvement in worker health and safety with awards. The SHIP awards reflect RMA members’ demonstrated commitment to worker health and safety.

“The SHIP results are an important measurement for Michelin because our top priority every day is to provide the safest and healthiest work environment possible for our employees,” said Pete Selleck, chairman and president of Michelin North America. “We depend on the hard work, vigilance and determination of our employees to maintain a culture of safety at every site.”

Two categories of awards are presented to companies that demonstrate workplace safety excellence and improvements, which are measured by the incidence rate for injury cases. The “Excellence” category is for facilities that achieve a “Days Away Restricted and Transfers” (DART) rate that is 75 percent better than the average achieved by plants that provided data to RMA. The “Improvement” award is for plants that achieve a DART rate that is both 10 percent better than its rate in the previous year and the same or better than the RMA average incidence rate.

“RMA members are committed to promoting a strong safety culture at their facilities,” said Anne Forristall Luke, RMA president and CEO. “RMA’s annual SHIP Award recognizes these efforts that achieve measureable advancements in worker safety.”

Forty-seven plants from RMA member companies supplied data for the annual survey to be eligible for awards. The data supplied to RMA is identical to information provided to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, which publishes annual injury and illness information on all industries.