Safety Lifetime Achievement Award

2013 Recipient:

Tom Baumgartner
Director of Safety & Environmental
Mercury Marine

View Tom's Video

Tom Baumgartner’s career in safety started in 1972 when he graduated from the Safety Department at University Wisconsin-Whitewater. He joined Sentry Insurance as the only loss control engineer in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine. The experience learned from his loss control days at Sentry landed him back at UW-Whitewater in 1974 when he began teaching Occupational Safety courses in the broad field undergraduate Safety Program. While at UW-Whitewater Tom developed many close relationships with students who today are fellow safety professionals with whom he continues to have the privilege of working.  In 1975, Tom was introduced to Bill Redman and became an active member of the Wisconsin Safety Council.  Tom has served on a number of Safety Council committees over time, including Congress Planning Committee Chair and Advisor Board Chairperson. Tom was instrumental in the transition and partnership between the Wisconsin Safety Council and the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce organization in the 80s and 90s.

Tom’s career took on new challenges in 1979 when he joined Mercury Marine as Manager of OSHA and Safety. In 1985, Tom was promoted to Director of Safety and took on additional responsibilities for Environmental Compliance. The role of Environmental, Health and Safety expanded and evolved from a one man job in 1979 to a staff of 15 EHS professionals serving 3500 Mercury employees’ throughout the world. Today, Tom works on developing safety programs aimed at meeting the demands for the new generation of workers at Mercury, where safety is a valued and an integral part of the culture.  In February 2013, after 41 years in the safety profession, Tom will be reducing his busy full-time schedule to part-time.  He has said that some of his fondest memories are the relationships which have developed with fellow safety professionals through the Safety Council and truly values the mission and contributions of the Council to the state.

The following Individuals have received the Wisconsin Safety Council Lifetime Achievement Award:

2012	2011	2010	2010
Pat Ostrenga Retired, National Accounts Loss Control Consultant, Sentry	Tom Ordens Retired, National Accounts Loss Control Consultant, Sentry	Mel Lischefski U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA	Eileen Blanckaert Grandé Cheese Company
2009	2009	2008	2008
Bill Banaszak Health, Safety-Quality Manger, Brenntag Great Lakes, LLC	Richard Klawiter UW - Platteville	Frances Huntley-Cooper Department of Workforce Development	Terry Moen, MS, J.D. Industrial Hygiene Supervisor, WisCon Program Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
2007	2006	2005	2004
Walter Kante Walter Kante Safety Consultants	Judith Grzegorski JAG Safety & Security LLC	Jack Dobson Simplicity Manufacturing, Inc.	Dr. John Olson UW - Stout
2003
Dr. Roger Hauser UW - Platteville

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wisconsin Safety Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individual’s for a lifetime of commitment to improving the safety and health of Wisconsin and America’s workers.

Their passion for safety, extraordinary work ethic and integrity will be of great inspiration in the years to come.

For more information, contact Janie Ritter, WSC Director, 800.236.3400.