2023 ARPM Safety Awards Showcase Five Gold Winners

By Lindsey Munson, editor, Inside Rubber

The 2023 Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Summit was held on May 24-25 in Columbus, Ohio, where the Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM), announced the winners of the Safety Awards. The EHS Summit is an annual event hosted by ARPM and is designed to share best leadership and safety practices with industry professionals who want to achieve world-class safety within their companies.

The Safety Awards Program is comprised of two awards: the Safety Achievement Award and the Safety Best Practice Award.

Safety Achwwwievement Award

The prestigious Safety Achievement Award is broken down into four award levels: Gold Achievement, Silver Achievement and Honorable Mention. The award is a way to recognize safety in the industry and award facilities that have achieved a level of safety performance above the industry average.

The award requirements are based on data reported on a company’s annual Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. This data is reported by an employer through the Log and the Incident Report only if a recordable workrelated injury or illness has occurred, including death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness or a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed healthcare professional.

Gold Achievement Award

Recognizes worksites with no occupational injuries or illnesses.

● BRC Rubber & Plastics, Bluffton, Indiana

● BRC Rubber & Plastics, Ligonier, Indiana

● Hamilton Kent LLC, Winchester, Tennessee

● Mechanical Rubber Products Co., Inc, Warwick, New York

● Zeon Chemicals L.P., Hattiesburg, Mississippi

● Zochem ULC, Brampton, Ontario

Silver Achievement Award

Recognizes worksites with no occupational injuries or illnesses involving lost workdays or restricted work activity.

● Blair Rubber Company, Seville, Ohio

● BRC Rubber and Plastics, Hartford City, Indiana

● Zochem LLC, Dickson, Tennessee

Honorable Mention Award

Recognizes worksites with the lowest incident rate based on size (1-199 employees and over 200 employees).

● Eagle Elastomer, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

● Prospira America, Upper Sandusky, Ohio

Safety Best Practice Award

Recognizes the “best practices” that an organization implemented to increase overall safety.

● Hamilton Kent LLC, Winchester, Tennessee

● Contitech Canada, Inc., Mississauga, Ontario

● Zeon Chemicals LP, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

ARPM Managing Director Kaitlyn Triplett said, “The Safety Awards Program recognizes leaders in the rubber industry for committing to and achieving excellence in safety and These companies are making safety a top priority and have gone above and beyond to ensure their most valuable asset – their employees – are safe on the job. Congratulations to all of our 2023 Safety Award Winners!” n

More information: www.arpminc.com/ehs

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[1] Orion Announces ChemSpec Distribution Partnership

Orion S.A. (OEC), Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a specialty chemicals company, announced it entered an exclusive distribution agreement with ChemSpec, Orrville, Ohio, a specialty chemicals supplier. Effective July 1, 2023, ChemSpec represents Orion’s rubber and premium rubber carbon black product lines for mechanical rubber goods throughout the US and Canada. ChemSpec is a subsidiary of Safic-Alcan, which also is a partner with Orion overseas. ChemSpec has a wide range portfolio of products to offer the rubber industry, and the Orion carbon black line enhances its value to the end user. For more information, visit www.orioncarbons.com.

[2] Trelleborg Healthcare & Medical Hires Scott Ryan

Trelleborg Healthcare & Medical, Plymouth, Minnesota, a provider of innovative, reliable engineered polymer solutions for demanding medical, biotech and pharmaceutical applications, hired Scott Ryan as general manager for its Northborough Biopharma Center of Excellence in Massachusetts. Ryan is responsible for operational strategy and oversight of all critical management functions. In addition, he leads site operations including production, building repair, maintenance, security and safety. Ryan has more than 35 years of progressive diagnostics, clinical manufacturing, quality and process development leadership experience. Before Trelleborg, he served as senior director of a high throughput plasmid manufacturing company and led operations of a genetics laboratory. Ryan earned his Master of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences Management from UMass Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.trelleborg.com/healthcare

[3] Smithers Hires Chad Atzemis as Senior Consultant, Partners with University of Akron Formula SAE Team

Smithers, Akron, Ohio, a provider of testing, consulting, information and compliance services, announced the hire of Chad Atzemis as a senior consultant. As part of Smithers’ rubber technical consulting team, Atzemis leads efforts to expand its technical consulting offerings into additional markets and enhance the team’s capabilities. The technical consulting team at Smithers guides everything from raw materials analysis and product engineering to laboratory testing and field performance. Before joining the team at Smithers, Atzemis was COO at Lianda Corporation. Atzemis serves on the Ohio Rubber Group board and holds a Six-Sigma Green Belt.

Additionally, Smithers announced its sponsorship of the University of Akron Formula SAE Team. Recently, it hosted the team at the Smithers Tire & Wheel Test Center for a tour of the facilities and a discussion about laboratory testing for automotive components. The University of Akron has participated in Formula SAE for over 30 years. Students are challenged to incorporate their classroom knowledge into effective automotive designs by designing, building and racing a Formula One-style racecar. The experience empowers students to confidently enter the workforce and make significant contributions to the automotive industry after graduation. The team placed eighth out of 89 teams at Formula SAE Michigan in May 2022, with top 10 finishes in the endurance and design events. The sponsorship from Smithers will support the design and creation of the car, as well as shipping costs and travel expenses for overseas competitions. For more information, visit www.smithers.com

[4] Ice Miller Welcomes 2023 Summer Associates Class

Ice Miller, a full-service law firm that spans eight offices, welcomed 31 summer associates to the firm in its Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus and New York offices. Law students from 21 law schools joined the firm for this year’s 10-week, in-person program. The summer associates have opportunities for substantive legal work, skills-based training, pro bono work and networking events. Each summer associate is paired with an associate mentor. For more information, visit www.icemiller.com

[5] Grainger Expands Educational Assistance Program

Grainger, Lake Forest, Illinois, a broad-line distributor of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products serving businesses and institutions, has expanded its long-standing educational assistance program to include part-time team members and partnered with new institutions to provide high-quality degree programs, with some offered at no cost. From day one, all team members are eligible to apply to the program, which provides up to $5,250 per year toward a qualifying degree. For annual tuition above that, Grainger splits the cost – covering 50% – with no limit. This also includes specialized technical certifications, such as HVAC and OSHA training.

In addition, Grainger is expanding its relationships with accredited institutions and has partnered with Western Governors University and the University of Phoenix to offer team members a high-quality education. For more information, visit www.grainger.com.

[6] Stern Rubber Expands Product Line

Stern Rubber Company, Staples, Minnesota, a manufacturer of custom rubber products offering full services from design to quality assurance, has expanded its product portfolio to include agricultural flails. These flails are compressionmolded natural rubber products used for defoliating sugar beets. Stern Rubber took over this business from Premier Products in 2021. For more information, visit www.sternrubber.com n

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