Safety Awards Program

How the Program Works

Each year, APA conducts an industry-wide safety survey of participating member and nonmember mills. Mills submit their annual OSHA Form 300A (or equivalent reporting outside the United States), which APA uses to calculate each mill's Weighted Incident Rate (WIR) , benchmark safety performance and determine award recipients.

Calculating the Weighted Incident Rate

The Weighted Incident Rate (WIR) provides a consistent method for evaluating safety performance across participating mills by accounting for both the number and severity of workplace incidents.

APA conducts an industry-wide safety survey of member and nonmember mills. Participating mills report their recordable incidents, restricted work cases, lost-time incidents, fatalities and hours worked each calendar year by submitting their annual OSHA Form 300A.

Mills outside the United States convert data from their national or provincial reporting requirements to OSHA guidelines. A copy of 29 CFR Part 1904 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act describing OSHA recording and reporting rules is available from APA.

Each participating mill's WIR is calculated using the following formula:

Mill WIR = (25 x F + 10 x LT + 5 x RW + R) x 200,000/Mill Hours

Where:

• WIR = Mill's Weighted Incident Rate for the Year

• F = Mill's Fatalities (Employees or Service Providers) for the Year

• LT = Mill's Lost Time Incidents for the Year

• RW = Mill's Restricted Work Incidents for the Year

• R = Mill's Other Recordable Incidents for the Year

Divisional Awards

Participating APA member mills are grouped into one of three divisions based on the products they manufacture:

• Division I: Plywood mills

• Division II: OSB mills

• Division III: Glulam, Structural Composite Lumber (SCL), Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), I-Joist, and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) mills

The following awards are presented separately within each division.

• Annual Safety Award – This award is presented to the two mills in each Division with the best Weighted Incident Rate (WIR). In the case of a tie, the mill that reported more hours worked will be the winner.

• Three-Year Safety Award – This award is presented to the mill in each Division that has the best average WIR over the last three years. In the case of a tie, the mill that reported more hours worked will be the winner.

• Safety Improvement Award – This award is presented to the mill in each Division that has three consecutive years of improving WIR and the largest percentage improvement between the first and third year. In the case of a tie, the mill that reported more hours worked will be the winner.

Innovation in Safety

This award is presented to the mill that is judged by a committee of industry safety professionals to have made a significant advancement in operational excellence of mill safety and health. Two awards are presented annually:

• Equipment-Based Innovation

• Jack Wagner Process-Based Innovation

Entries are evaluated by the APA Safety & Health Advisory Committee based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrates an innovative/novel solution proven to reduce occupational injuries or illnesses and/or improve safety awareness on or off the job.

• Includes at least three months of documented results.

• Can be submitted by an individual mill, a group of mills or a company.

• Must be able to be leveraged across the engineered wood industry.

• Originates from an APA member mill or company.

• Preference is given to innovations/solutions developed through safety committees or grassroots employee involvement.

• The implementation does not consist solely of an off-the-shelf program purchased or acquired from a third party. These entries will not be considered.

Recipients are selected by majority vote of the APA Safety & Health Advisory Committee. Members who are interested in applying for this award should contact Amber Saladino. Submissions must be made prior to the February 15 annual deadline.

Safest Company

The Safest Company Awards recognize mills with the best average Weighted Incident Rate for the company's eligible APA member mills. Awards are presented in three categories:

• Three or fewer mills

• Four to 10 mills

• More than 10 mills

In the case of a tie, the company that reported more hours worked will be the winner. To qualify, all eligible mills must submit their incident data (OSHA Form 300A) by the February 15 annual deadline, and the company must have no facility-related fatalities, including fatalities of outside service providers while working at the facility.

Incident-Free Honor Society

Recognizes eligible participating mills achieving a 0.00 Weighted Incident Rate during the award year. Qualifying mills are automatically inducted into the Incident Free Honor Society and recognized for their achievement.

VIEW current & PAST AWARD Winners

Eligibility

The APA Safety Awards Program is open to all APA member mills, and there is no cost to participate.

To qualify for an award, a participating mill must:

• Be an APA member mill

• Produce for at least three months during the calendar year

• Report no facility-related fatalities, including fatalities involving outside service providers working at the facility

• Rank among the top 50% of participating mills based on Weighted Incident Rate

• Submit all required incident data and Innovation in Safety entries by the annual deadline, February 15

Annual Submission Requirements

Mills participate in the Safety Awards Program by responding to APA's annual industry-wide survey of member and nonmember mills. Mill that participate in the survey submit their annual OSHA Form 300A to APA. Mills wishing to be considered for the Innovation in Safety Award must also submit a completed Innovation in Safety Award entry form.

All submissions must be signed and dated by the appropriate company executive.

Annual Deadline:

February 15 of the year following the award year.

Questions?

Contact Amber Saladino