Warren County truck and bus radial tire manufacturing plant receives Volunteer STAR Award from Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
MORRISON – Bridgestone Americas Warren County facility has received its fifth Volunteer STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) award – the state’s highest honor for workplace safety and health.
Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips presented the Volunteer STAR award to the Warren County plant’s team last week. The Volunteer STAR is patterned after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Voluntary Protection Program and recognizes the best of the best in the area of safety and health programming and performance.
“Warren’s achievement is a shining example of Bridgestone’s core commitment to safety first, always – and the teammates at our Warren Plant have done an exceptional job,” said Christine Karbowiak, chief administrative officer, chief risk officer and executive vice president. “Our high level of commitment to safety is a common goal among all teammates, from leadership to the plant floor where we strive to manufacture tires in the safest way possible, so we can provide our customers with high-quality, safe tires.”
There are currently 37 Volunteer STAR sites in Tennessee.
The standard for participation in the STAR program is the confirmation of a company’s safety and health program, which helps reduce accidents and injuries. The program also allows employers to be removed from programmed compliance inspection lists for a period of three years.
Bridgestone’s plant is located in Morrison; employees there manufacture commercial truck and bus radial (TBR) tires.
“It is evident Bridgestone is extremely dedicated to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace,” he said.
In addition to this latest achievement, the Bridgestone Warren plant received the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s Safety and Health Improvement Program 2015 Improvement Award and achieved re-certification for the Tennessee Green Star Partnership in 2015. The plant is a multi-year Upper Cumberland Business Journal Ovation Award winner, most recently in 2014 for Excellence in Manufacturing.
The plant celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. The Warren Plant is home to Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom and Habitat (BEECH), one of Bridgestone’s 10 certified wildlife habitat sites that also provides educational programming to area students.
