KINGSPORT, Tenn. — On Wednesday, Nov. 8, state officials presented Domtar’s Kingsport mill with a top safety award, the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) Governor’s Award of Excellence for Workplace Safety.
The award recognizes outstanding achievement in employer-employee safety programs for the prevention of workplace injury. As part of its qualification criteria, Domtar’s Kingsport mill had to accumulate 1 million hours worked without a lost-time or restricted-duty incident.
“Safety is a core value at Domtar, and we’re proud that TOSHA has recognized our efforts in this way,” says Bill MacPherson, mill manager. “We’re grateful to say that while this is the first time our Kingsport mill has been publicly recognized, thanks to our employees, the 1 million-hour milestone has been reached multiple times in the past by both the Kingsport mill and by our Ridgefields Converting facility.”
Guests and speakers at the event included James Flanagan, assistant administrator for Tennessee OSHA, David Blessman, Volunteer STAR Recognition Program manager, and Randy Cassell, president of Kingsport’s Safety Council, among others.
“Domtar’s Kingsport mill has demonstrated a strong commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace,” says Flanagan, who presented the Governor’s Award of Excellence. “The evaluation criteria for this award are challenging, and this company has worked extremely hard to meet and exceed the standards the award requires.”
Domtar ranks as Kingsport’s third-largest manufacturing company, with approximately 400 employees at its mill and Ridgefields Converting facility.
“We’re very thankful for the dedication of our employees,” MacPherson says. “Milestones like these are possible because of their ongoing commitment to safety awareness.”
-30-
About Domtar
Domtar is a leading provider of a wide variety of fiber-based products including communication, specialty and packaging papers, market pulp and absorbent hygiene products. With approximately 10,000 employees serving more than 50 countries around the world, Domtar is driven by a commitment to turn sustainable wood fiber into useful products that people rely on every day. Domtar’s annual sales are approximately $5.1 billion, and its common stock is traded on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Domtar’s principal executive office is in Fort Mill, South Carolina. To learn more, visit www.domtar.com.
For more information, contact Kezia Murphy,
senior human resources advisor at Domtar’s Kingsport mill,
at 423-392-2710.