2009 SHARP Recipients

For Cox’s Wholesale Seafood, success isn’t just being the largest producer of Key West pink shrimp in the U.S., or offering a premium quality product for supermarkets throughout the country. For them, success is also knowing that its facility is a safe environment for its employees.

Lower turnover, lower incidents and higher profitability are direct benefits of Florida Presbyterian Homes’ SHARP status.

G&T Conveyor Company, the nation’s largest designer, manufacturer and installer of baggage handling systems, had a well-defined safety management system prior to working with USF SafetyFlorida in November 2008. In fact, its safety system was so well-established it took only seven months for the company to earn its first SHARP award.

A 40% reduction in total workers’ compensation costs. A reduction in DART and Total Recordable Case figures from 5.3 to 2.9. For Gate Concrete Products of Jacksonville, these figures are a testament to the effectiveness of earning a SHARP award.

You may know of Great Southern Wood because of its YellaWood® brand and “Yella Fella” ads featuring Jimmy Rane, company founder and CEO. But what you might not know is that the wood preserving and treating company is also serious about safety.

Johnson Controls takes safety seriously, and its vision to create “a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world” reinforces that principle.

A major accident at a small business can often be a catalyst to integrate safety into the workflow. For JRS Custom Fabrication in Ocala, a 2006 accident that resulted in a leg amputation, turned the company completely around into a now-model safety employer.

Safety managers can agree that safety and health management systems evolve over time, adapting to meet the needs of a changing business. Such is the case for Load King Manufacturing, Inc. of Jacksonville.

TCP: Trust, communication and productivity. This is the driving management philosophy behind PalletOne of Florida.

"We don't want people to be quiet when it comes to the safety of this plant. We encourage employees to take responsibility for their safety," says Mark King, facilities manager of PDM Bridge, LLC.