Star Plastics, Inc., a compounder of engineering grade thermoplastics headquartered in Ravenswood, West Virginia, crossed the five-year threshold with no lost time incidents on Nov. 29, 2018. While proud of their 1,800+ days without a hiccup, the company states it still has a long way to go to break its personal record, from the 1990s, of seven years without a lost time incident. Star Plastics reached another milestone of one year with zero OSHA recordables on Dec. 15, 2018, which means that no incident that required medical treatment beyond first aid occurred at the facility.
Several years ago, Star implemented an EH&S walk-through (Environmental, Health and Safety). The company’s safety team – comprising a variety of management and team leaders – does walkthroughs at each facility every other week. The team covers different areas of the plant while reviewing specific checklists with a goal of identifying potential environmental, health, or safety concerns that can be addressed before becoming an issue. Star Plastics has implemented internal facility improvements that had a direct, positive effect on safety, including a powered roller system, lighting and layout improvements, equipment to help removal and installation of heavy molds, pre-emptive roof repairs and improved work procedures. For more information, visit www.starplastics.com.