Minnesota plant receives safety and health award

ASV Inc. has been recognized for its Cohasset, Minn., manufacturing facility's safety record as a Minnesota Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (MNSHARP) worksite. MNSHARP is a Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) Program that recognizes companies where managers and employees work together to develop safety and health programs that go beyond basic compliance with all applicable OSHA standards and result in immediate and long-term prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses. The award was presented to ASV at an award ceremony held at ASV's Undercarriage Manufacturing Facility in Cohasset.

At the ceremony, ASV chief financial officer Tom Karges said, "Today, we are celebrating a big accomplishment – safety in our workplace. Safety is something we talk about a lot, but until we put it into action, that's all it is – just talk. Actually putting safety into your daily work life is much more difficult. The award we are receiving today shows that we do much more than just talk about safety."

With its reportable and recordable accidents at 56% below the national average, ASV's Cohasset facility is one of only 30 active MNSHARP worksites in Minnesota.

Steve Sviggum, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, presented the Cohasset plant with a certificate of achievement from MNSHARP, as well as a flag. "Safety is important. You are important. Your fellow workmates are important. It cannot be stressed enough – safety is important," Sviggum told plant employees during the ceremony.

As part of the MNSHARP Program, ASV's Cohasset facility, has implemented a number of safety strategies, including:

·        Establishing a Lock-Out/Tag-Out Program with a written process for each piece of equipment.

·        Writing and implementing an AWAIR Policy (A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction) program to provide a safe work environment, which features training of all employees on the safe operation and maintenance of equipment and use of personal protective equipment, and promotion of a safe and harmonious workplace. The AWAIR program also provides general safety rules and guidelines for hazard identification and accident investigation, and identifies program enforcement and loss prevention training.

·        Establishing weekly/monthly inspections of the eye wash stations, emergency lighting, the sprinkler system, job cranes and fire extinguishers.

·        Implementing a program for incident and accident investigation, and for root cause identification, which leads to the implementation of long-term solutions.

Dave Christianson, ASV facilities manager, credited all Cohasset employees for their hard work in making the program a success and was thankful for the consultation service of MNOSHA. "We greatly appreciate all the help and consideration we have received from these individuals," he said. "As we continue to grow we will develop new processes and procedures to insure the safety of all ASV employees."

"This speaks well of you," said Sviggum. "I want to congratulate you on this sign of success you have achieved."

About ASV

Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Minn., ASV Inc. designs, manufactures and sells rubber track machines and related components, accessories and attachments. ASV's purpose-built chassis and patented Posi-Track rubber track undercarriage technology is used in their Compact Track Loaders, which are known for their innovation and performance. The Cohasset plant produces the undercarriages, which are also sold to a variety of other manufacturers in nearly a dozen undercarriage configurations.