Pictured from left to right: Steve Hawkins, TOSHA administrator and Dominick Grosso, BASF.
Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced that BASF was chosen to receive the Governor’s Award of Excellence for Workplace Safety and Health. The company has two locations in Chattanooga, one on Polymer Dr. and the other on Lost Mound Dr. Both are being recognized with awards.
“BASF has demonstrated strong commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace," said Mr. Phillips, who presented the award today at the closing session of the Tennessee Safety and Health Congress in Nashville.
“The evaluation criteria for this award are challenging, and this company has worked extremely hard to meet and exceed the standards the award requires.”
The Governor’s Award of Excellence honors Tennessee employers and employees who meet a required number of hours without workplace injuries serious enough to cause an employee to miss a day of work or restrict normal job activities. The number of hours required is based on the size of the company.
BASF employs 130 people in Chattanooga. They produce polymer dispersions that are commonly used in adhesives, carpet backing, foams, paper coatings, and asphalt modifiers. Both sites qualified for the Governor’s Award by each working 300,000 hours without a lost-time or restricted duty workplace injury or illness. The injury-free record dates back to January 2011.
“BASF regards protection of health, safety, and the environment as our most important responsibility,” said Rob Gagliano, site director for BASF in Chattanooga. “We care about our employees and we care about our communities. We are committed to operating facilities in a safe, secure, and environmentally responsible fashion.”
For more information on the Governor’s Safety Award and other TOSHA award programs contact TOSHA’s Nashville office at (800) 249-8510.