UniFirst receives prestigious Governor's Safety and Health Award

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Mar 28, 2023, 07:57 ET

Owensboro, Kentucky Distribution Center achieves more than 1M hours worked without a lost time incident

WILMINGTON, Mass., March 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a North American leader in providing customized business uniform programs, facility service products and first aid and safety services, announced that its centralized distribution center in Owensboro, Kentucky achieved a safety milestone working 1,164,849 man hours without a lost time incident from June 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022.

Lynn Whitehouse, director of Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet's KYSafe program, presents the Governor’s Safety and Health Award to UniFirst Safety Team Leader Robert Carlile. Photo courtesy of The Owensboro Times.

This marks the third time the Owensboro team earned the award, which is presented by the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet. To celebrate the honor, state officials were on-site at the 360,000-square-foot Daviess County distribution and fulfillment center to recognize the team. UniFirst is one of the area's largest employers with over 400 employee Team Partners working at the Owensboro facility.

"UniFirst Corporation has proven time and again that they value the importance of workplace safety, and I am proud to recognize the company and every hard-working employee at the Owensboro distribution center today for reaching this important milestone," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. "I hope that other companies throughout the commonwealth see this achievement and strive for similar results."

UniFirst—Owensboro has been at the forefront of safety initiatives, including the creation of an on-site wellness center; mandatory safety training for Team Partners; monthly safety audits; comprehensive safety reviews of each job function; Emergency Response Team trained in emergency response procedures; daily safety topics at shift kickoffs that includes stretching; and participation in OSHA's Voluntary Partnership Program (VPP), which resulted in UniFirst—Owensboro being 1 of only 20 sites in the state of Kentucky that has earned VPP certification.

"We are honored to receive the Governor's Health and Safety Award," said UniFirst Manager of Safety Operations Dan Getter. "The health and safety of our employee Team Partners is, and always will be, a top priority for our company. This award represents a true team effort and each one of our employee Team Partners should be very proud of what we have achieved together."

The Governor's award comes on the heels of the Owensboro team earning OSHA's (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) highest workplace safety honor, the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star certification. VPP status is given to businesses who meet rigorous safety requirements.

"I'd like to congratulate the entire UniFirst Owensboro team for valuing the importance of workplace safety," said UniFirst President and CEO Steven Sintros. "Our people are our most valuable asset, and we are committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all of our 14,000-plus Team Partners."

For more information on UniFirst's companywide safety initiatives, visit https://csr.unifirst.com/safety/

About UniFirst

Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, facility service products, as well as first aid and safety supplies and services. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst both partners with leading brands and manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000-plus employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers every day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 888.296.2740 or visit UniFirst.com.

SOURCE UniFirst Corporation