Company facilities in Osceola and Chippewa Falls to be honored during annual Wisconsin Safety & Health Conference and Expo in Wisconsin Dells May 17-18
Madison – The Wisconsin Safety Council, the state’s leading provider of safety training and programming, and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) will honor Viking Gas Transmission as one of 15 companies to win this year’s Wisconsin Corporate Safety award.
“This year’s winners embody the success stories that make Wisconsin one of the safest states to work” said Janie Ritter, director of the Wisconsin Safety Council. “We would like to congratulate the winning companies along with all the finalists as they are true models to businesses across the state of what it means to make the safety of their employees a priority each and every day”.
The winners were chosen based on information they provided on their organization’s safety and health leadership, training and implementation programs, and employee participation. Their applications also included information on their safety accomplishments and goals. The applications were judged by an independent panel of 45 safety, insurance and human resource professionals.
“On behalf of the State of Wisconsin, I congratulate this year’s Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award winners who are leading by example and understand the importance of safety both in and around the workplace,” said Department of Workforce Development Secretary Ray Allen.
Viking Gas Transmission Company operates 600+ miles of natural gas transmission mainline starting at the Canadian/Minnesota border and ending in Marshfield. Flame retardant clothing, hearing protection and other PPE, as well as mechanisms to allow a sudden release of natural gas, mitigates safety issues that might be caused by a pipeline failure. Near misses and first aid incidents are reported, documented and discussed with all employees on a weekly basis which is used to target specific ergonomic training items. VGT requires all employees to participate in regular safety meetings and public education training with contactors, emergency responders, public officials and land owners near the facilities to explain pipeline safety. In 2015, VGT saw an increased involvement and dedication by employees in “Being Our Sisters and Brothers Keepers” program which had an even greater role of a positive safe atmosphere to prevent injuries. With the development of a push, pull and lift training initiatives, employees continuously strive to improve the safety culture of VGT.
“Viking Gas Transmission Company is honored to be awarded the Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award by the Wisconsin Safety Council and Department of Workforce Development. This award is a direct result of the commitment by all of our employees to focus on our safety culture of being ‘our brothers and our sisters keepers’ and operating safely,” said David Gunderson, SH Coordinator at Oneok Partners.
Founded in 1923, the Wisconsin Safety Council is Wisconsin’s leading provider of workplace safety training and programming and is dedicated to saving the lives of Wisconsin workers. As the state chapter of the National Safety Council, WSC is the educational division of the Wisconsin Manufacturers’ Association and the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. Representing more than 4,000 organizations across the state, WSC provides training, products, certification, research, resources and collaboration for the thousands of safety and health professionals in Wisconsin.
For more information, contact the Wisconsin Safety Council at 800-236-3400 or visit www.wisafetycouncil.org.
Contact
David Gunderson, david.gunderson@oneok.com, 218-745-5082
Janie Ritter, jritter@wisafetycouncil.org, 608-661-6930
