Environmental Health and Safety wins state accolades

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) recently received the North Carolina Department of Labor’s (NCDOL) Five Million Hour Award and First-year Gold Award. Theses honors were based on submitted efforts from 2017.

The Million Hour Safety Awards are distributed to organizations that achieve at least one million consecutive employee hours without injury or illness that may cause days off work. Each additional one million hours is accumulated into more prestigious recognition.

To be eligible for NCDOL safety awards, firms must provide record that no fatalities occurred during the calendar year and an incident rate at least 50 percent below the average for the industry group must be achieved. The award is given as either gold or silver level achievement.

UNC Charlotte’s EHS office received the First-year Gold Award in 2015, First-year Silver Award in 2014 and 2017, Four Million Hour Award in 2017, Two Million Hour Award in 2016 and the Six Million Hour Award in 2014.

These annual awards represent the University’s dedication to enhance the safety culture on campus, according to Angela Allen, workers’ compensation manager in EHS. The implementation of the Return to Work program is aiding in these award achievements, as it promotes rehabilitation and enhances the recovery process for employees who are ill or injured.

“This is an acknowledgment of the department’s commitment to safety as well as all employees who support the University’s health and safety policies,” stated Allen. “Everyone, individually, plays a role in keeping our workplace safe. When we collectively put safety first, we can reduce workplace accidents and injuries.”

Photo: Angela Allen, workers’ compensation manager in EHS, and Cherie Berry, NCDOL commissioner.