CH2M Hill and Operations Management International (OMI) – which operate and maintain the North Hudson Sewerage Authority facilities and 159 water and wastewater facilities in the Americas, Middle East, and Asia – have won the SHARP Award presented by the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA).
The award, which recognizes small business employers who demonstrate exemplary achievements in workplace safety and health, was presented by David J. Socolow, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development at ceremonies held at the Authority.
“The latest data show that New Jersey’s private sector companies continue to have some of the safest worksites in the nation,” said Socolow, “and our most recent accident and illness rate of 3.6 incidents per 100 full-time workers remains well below the national average of 4.4.”
A state’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration sets the requirements for the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). All workers and management (associates) must be committed to completing the SHARP program because it is very involved and time-consuming. In Hoboken, associates stepped up their focus on safety after an accident severely injured a co-worker in February 2005. As part of their renewed commitment at both the Hoboken and West New York wastewater facilities that CH2M Hill and OMI operates for the North Hudson Sewerage Authority, associates decided to enroll in the SHARP program.
Requirements are demanding. Independent inspectors visit facilities and compile a list of safety hazards that must be addressed. Associates must implement and maintain a safety and health management system and lower the Days Away, Restricted or Transferred rate and Total Recordable Rate below the national average. The Authority’s associates addressed the inspector’s list and made numerous improvements. After a second inspection, the project was recommended for inclusion in the SHARP program.
“Our associates had to change a lot of things they were used to doing. They did so willingly and SHARP Award is a major accomplishment for us,” said Hoboken Project Safety Team Leader Stephen Hudock.
“Very few locations earn SHARP honors each year in New Jersey, so for us to receive it at both our Hoboken and West New York facilities underscores our associates’ commitment to safety,” said Project Managers Gary Fournier and Phil Reeves.
Richard J. Wolff, Chairman of the North Hudson Sewerage Authority Board of Commissioners extended the Authority’s congratulations to the award winners and thanked them for establishing a safe workplace environment. The North Hudson Sewerage Authority partnership with CH2M Hill and OMI is the first public-private partnership of a wastewater treatment plant in New Jersey.