SPRINGDALE, Ark., U.S. — Rockline Industries, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of coffee filters, announced that the Arkansas Department of Labor has recognized its Springdale, Ark. campus with an award for exceptional safety, achieving 13 million safe work hours without a lost time accident (LTA) on Dec. 2, 2020. This milestone puts Rockline Industries’ Northwest Arkansas (NWA) facility in elite company. This accomplishment has only been achieved one other time since Arkansas began recognizing workplace safety in 1976.
“Our associates are fully invested in our culture of safety and despite all the challenges 2020 threw at us, they remained laser focused on preventing safety incidents. This recognition from the state of Arkansas is a testament to their dedication and hard work,” said Mark Fougerousse, EHS manager of Rockline NWA.
The award from the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division is part of the state’s overall educational program to encourage workplace safety by honoring companies whose employees have accumulated a significant number of work hours without a lost day away from work due to a work-related injury or illness.
“Our team members do a great job of looking out for each other and identifying problems before they occur. If they see a potential risk, they point it out immediately and it is addressed right away,” Fougerousse continued. “Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team has been working extremely hard to keep up with a huge increase in demand for our products and they met that challenge but were also able to maintain an exceptionally safe work environment,” Fougerousse concluded.
“We have an incredible group of dedicated employees who believe that zero injuries are possible, both at work and at home. We pay attention to little details and truly look out for each other,” said Joel Slank, general manager of Rockline’s Springdale facility. “Awards like these are terrific but the knowledge that our employees are acting safely and have a safe place to work is the best reward,” Slank continued.
