VALLEY FORGE, PA, April 9, 2007 -- Five CertainTeed® manufacturing sites have been honored by Saint-Gobain, the world's largest building materials manufacturer and parent company of CertainTeed Corporation, for their exceptional commitment to promoting health and safety in the workplace.
Saint-Gobain reviewed more than 1,000 of its locations worldwide before selecting the top 23 plants to receive its distinguished Diamond Award, the conglomerate's highest health, safety and environment honor. Among those selected for 2007 Diamond Award was the CertainTeed Gypsum manufacturing plant in Mississauga, Ontario.
According to Don Moses, President of CertainTeed Gypsum, the Diamond Award signifies the important role safety plays in employees' day-to-day work. "Demonstrating and living an absolute commitment to safety is one of CertainTeed's core corporate values," says Moses. "I am proud of our Mississauga employees for incorporating safety into their work and am delighted they are being recognized for their diligent efforts."
According to Stephen Sandre, Plant Manager of the Mississauga facility, it's the employees that play the biggest part in maintaining a safe workplace. "We are truly privileged to have employees who have worked here for many years and who take clear pride in health and safety," says Sandre. In addition, the plant implemented various results-driven measures to ensure the safety of their employees, such as installing barriers around machines that protect operators and those nearby from injury.
Since the Diamond Award was established in 1990, CertainTeed has won 12 times for safe operations at various plants, the most of any of Saint-Gobain's North American subsidiaries.
Other CertainTeed facilities have also been honored for their continual ability to maintain strict safety standards and exemplary safety records with the Saint-Gobain Corporation Gold, Silver and Bronze Safety Awards in large, medium and small plant categories.
The CertainTeed Window manufacturing facility in Auburn, Washington, received the Silver Safety Award for outstanding health, safety and environment performance for large plants with 300 or more employees. Taking the Gold Safety Award for medium-sized plants with 100 to 299 employees was the CertainTeed Siding plant in Jackson, Michigan. The CertainTeed Unisul insulation blowing machine manufacturing facility in Winter Haven, Florida, received the Gold Safety Award for plants with fewer than 100 employees. The company's siding plant in Social Circle, Georgia, won the Great Strides Award for showing significant HSE innovation, employee involvement and improvement during 2006.
Through innovation and creative product design, CertainTeed has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Company, the firm made its slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," which quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is North America's leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, windows, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, walls, ceilings and access covers.
Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, CertainTeed and its affiliates have approximately 9,000 employees and 70 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. In 2006 the group had consolidated sales approaching $4 billion.
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