Honda of South Carolina honored for creating safety culture

TIMMONSVILLE, S.C., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- When you see the digital sign in the middle of the engine department at Honda of South Carolina Mfg., Inc. (HSC), it is yet another indication of how seriously safety is taken at the plant.

This electronic scoreboard is a daily reminder to all Honda of South Carolina associates that safety is 24/7. The sign, which today notes 840-plus days without an accident, is in an area of the plant where some of the largest components are installed in the all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) built at the plant, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

"Our associates at Honda of South Carolina take pride in setting – and then breaking – safety milestones," said Brian Newman, president at Honda of South Carolina. "Earlier this month, it was rewarding to see the safe, smiling faces of many of our associates as we handed out Zero candy bars at the plant to promote our latest zero injuries milestone and to kick off National Safety Month."

Today, Newman and his team at the Honda plant in Timmonsville are preparing to celebrate another major safety milestone – 4 million hours without a lost time accident. Associates will be treated to a steak lunch by the plant's leadership, Newman said.

In fact, when the plant passed 3 million hours without a lost time accident, it caught the attention of South Carolina State Senator Hugh Leatherman, who introduced a special resolution in the South Carolina Senate last week. The resolution, which passed the Senate on June 17, recognizes Honda associates for their efforts to actively promote a safe work environment.

June has been designated National Safety Month by the National Safety Council.  This month, Honda's South Carolina plant is focusing on safety awareness and achieving zero injuries – both in the workplace and at home.

Honda of South Carolina has a history of being recognized for its safety programs, including being named one of America's Safest Companies in 2014 by EHS Magazine, earning the Theodore Roosevelt Workers' Compensation and Disability Management Award for efforts to reduce the number and cost of injuries to workers. HSC also earned the Honda Safety Manufacturing Excellence Award in 2014 from the South Carolina Manufacturing Alliance.

About Honda of South Carolina Mfg., Inc.

HSC began production of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in July 1998 with a workforce of approximately 200 associates. The initial $30 million, 200,000-square-foot ATV manufacturing plant was the beginning of Honda of South Carolina's significant growth in Florence County. In fall 2000, operations expanded to add engine production to the plant.

Today, HSC employs 1,000 associates in its 655,480-square-foot facility that now represents a $314 million investment. With the flexibility to produce many different types of powersports products, associates at the Timmonsville plant currently manufacture Honda ATVs and side-by-sides for the North American market, as well as exporting globally.

SOURCE Honda of South Carolina Mfg., Inc.