Baldor’s Fort Smith employees achieve Arkansas state safety record

Jul. 8, 2016 – This May, Baldor employees at the Fort Smith motor plant in Arkansas achieved 15 million hours with a lost-time accident — a milestone achievement they’ve been working toward since August 2010, says the company.
 
A recognition ceremony was held June 16, where Leon Jones Jr., director of the Arkansas Department of Labor, presented a plaque to a member of the plant’s safety committee. At the event, he noted the Fort Smith plant was the first in Arkansas history to achieve the milestone.

“Hitting 15 million hours – there’s got to be a lot of luck in doing that. But, we are trying to take ‘luck’ out of the equation by incorporating proactive measures. Talking about the things we ‘always do and never do,’ using SafeStart to change habits and behaviours and analyzing root causes are tools we are all using. But we continue to need your help every day to identify the risks that are still out there,” said Johnny McKusker, Fort Smith plant manager.

Last month, Baldor announced its gearbox manufacturing plant in Belton, S.C., had completed 18 years without a lost-time accident, and zero recordable accidents in the past year.