NICOLE TRACY
Reporter
Tyson Foods of Nashville celebrated over 1,000,000 manhours without an accident on Wednesday. Employees were treated to a lunch, and prizes such as televisions and barbeque grills were given away.
Speakers at the celebration included Pat Hart, Director, Health and Safety at Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission, Ralph Hudson, Deputy Director of the Arkansas Department of Labor, and Clark Thomas, OSHA Safety Manager all gave presentations stressing the importance of safety in the workplace.
Hart’s speech focused on employee safety, stating “The best thing you get is something that only you get to enjoy. That’s the fact you get to go home every day, with your eyes, your hearing, your sight, your health, all your fingers and your toes. That’s the most important thing.” she said.
Hudson pointed out during his speech that “Small things matter” and used examples of a couple of incidents in other jobs where a momentary lapse of safety caused an accident. Hudson also awarded the safety achievement award to the President of the plant’s Safety Committee.
Thomas spoke about a guide he was working on that would assist plant operators and employees in identifying machines that are potentially hazardous, as well as how to best stay safe while using the machines.
State Senator Larry Teague, Howard County Judge Kevin Smith, Nashville Mayor Billy Ray Jones were also on hand for the celebration.
