UniFirst Receives Governor’s Safety and Health Award

UniFirst Corp. recently announced that its centralized distribution center in Owensboro, KY, achieved a safety milestone for working 1,164,849 hours without a lost-time incident from June 1, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2022.

This marks the third time the Owensboro team has earned the award, which is presented by the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet. To celebrate the honor, state officials were on site at the 360,000-square-foot Daviess County distribution and fulfillment center to recognize the team. UniFirst is one of the area’s largest employers with more than 400 employee team partners working at the Owensboro facility.

“UniFirst Corp. has proven time and again that they value the importance of workplace safety, and I am proud to recognize the company and every hard-working employee at the Owensboro distribution center today for reaching this important milestone,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D). “I hope that other companies throughout the commonwealth see this achievement and strive for similar results.”

UniFirst—Owensboro has been at the forefront of safety initiatives, including the creation of an on-site wellness center; mandatory safety training for team partners; monthly safety audits; comprehensive safety reviews of each job function; an Emergency Response Team trained in emergency response procedures; daily safety topics at shift kickoffs that includes stretching; and participation in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Partnership (VPP), which resulted in UniFirst—Owensboro being one of only 20 sites in the state of Kentucky that has earned VPP certification.

“We are honored to receive the Governor’s Health and Safety Award,” said UniFirst Manager of Safety Operations Dan Getter. “The health and safety of our employee team partners is, and always will be, a top priority for our company. This award represents a true team effort and each one of our employee team partners should be very proud of what we have achieved together.”

The Governor’s award comes on the heels of the Owensboro team earning OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) highest workplace safety honor, the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star certification. VPP status is given to businesses who meet rigorous safety requirements.

“I’d like to congratulate the entire UniFirst Owensboro team for valuing the importance of workplace safety,” said UniFirst President and CEO Steven Sintros. “Our people are our most valuable asset, and we are committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all of our 14,000-plus team partners.”

For more information on UniFirst’s companywide safety initiatives, visit https://csr.unifirst.com/safety/.