Koppers Presents Annual President’s Award to Ashcroft Facility
Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
Koppers Holdings Inc. has presented its annual Zero Harm President's Award to its Ashcroft, British Columbia, facility in recognition of its safety, environmental responsibility, and innovation performance.
The Ashcroft team outperformed 45 facilities worldwide in terms of leading activities, which are defined as safety observations, hazard identification, and reporting of near-misses, all of which are critical to incident prevention. Throughout 2022, the plant also had zero property damage or permit violations incidents and the highest number of employee-generated innovation ideas implemented, a release said.
The Ashcroft plant provides Class 1 and commercial customers with treated hardwood and softwood railroad crossties, timbers, and untreated crossing planks, ensuring the safe and reliable transportation of commuters and critical goods. It sells and delivers products to Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska.
“Our company operates by the belief that we have the greatest chance for success when we work together to balance our core values of people, planet and performance,” said Koppers President and Chief Executive Officer Leroy Ball. “Plant Manager Patrick Sullivan and the team at Ashcroft proved this to be true in 2022, employing a true team effort to deliver impressive safety results, environmental performance, and profitable operations.”
In addition to the award, the facility received $5,000 in corporate giving funds, which were donated to The South Cariboo Elizabeth Fry Society Food Bank by its employees. At an on-site celebration with company leadership, each employee will also receive a gift of recognition.
“Ashcroft employees exemplified our Zero Harm culture throughout 2022, and on behalf of the global Koppers team, we congratulate them for the well-deserved award,” said Vice President of Zero Harm Joe Dowd. “Zero Harm represents both a moral imperative to protect people and our communities, as well as a strategic business decision that supports the long-term viability of our company.”
Koppers said the company continues to prioritize and invest heavily in advancing a Zero Harm culture across its workforce through an approach to safety that includes behavioral training, process safety improvements, occupational health best practices, and more.
In 2022, Koppers said these efforts resulted in year-over-year performance improvements, including a decrease in the company’s Total Recordable Rate and Days Away Restricted or Transferred Rate.
