The N.C. Department of Labor honored Vulcan Materials Company with safety awards at the company’s safety conference in Winston-Salem on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry presented 19 gold awards to Vulcan for large and small quarry operations and sales yards in North Carolina. The top award was presented to Vulcan’s Smith Grove Quarry on Farmington Road for 25 years.

“A safety award shows employees and the community that you are committed to a safe work environment,” Berry said. “A good safety record is something to be proud of, and businesses deserve to be recognized for their efforts.”

The awards honor on-the-job safety achievements. Companies must have been free of fatal accidents. The gold award criteria are based on a DART rate that is at least 50 percent below the statewide rate for its industry. The rate includes cases of days away from work, restricted activity or job transfer.

“Vulcan’s breadth and depth of safety performance speak loudly on the priority they and their employees put on safety,” Berry said. “You can tell by the number of facilities being recognized and how long they have been demonstrating exemplary safety performance that Vulcan is a leader in its industry and sets a great example for all companies in N.C.”

“Our division has a rich tradition of leading the company and the quarry industry in safety performance,” said Wayne Hemmerich, Vulcan’s Mideast Division Manager of Safety and Health. “Our goal is to provide a quality work environment so our employees can return home safe and healthy each and every day.”

Adding to the those comments, Martin Thorpe, Vulcan’s North Carolina Vice President and General Manager, stated: “Records like the ones recognized with these awards are measured in days but are built by the minute, and I am so proud of the level of attention to safety demonstrated by our employees. We are a natural resource based company, but our most important resource is our people.”

Vulcan is the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates (crushed stone and sand and gravel). For more information on Vulcan, visit www.vulcanmaterials.com.