American Greetings Receives Commissioners Award of Excellence

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner James Neeley announced that American Greetings in Afton was chosen to receive the Commissioner’s Award of Excellence for Workplace Safety.

The Commissioner’s Award honors Tennessee employers and their employees who together have achieved a required number of hours worked without experiencing a lost workday case and have maintained total injury and illness incidence rates below the national average. The number of hours required is based on the size of the company.

“American Greetings has demonstrated strong commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace,” said Jim Flanagan, head of the Voluntary Protection Program for Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health (TOSHA) who presented the Commissioner’s Award. “The evaluation criteria for this award are ambitious, and this company has worked conscientiously to meet and exceed the standards the award requires.”

Greeting card manufacturer American Greetings, which manufactures and converts wrapping paper, employs 650 people at the Afton site in Greene County.

The facility has worked more than two million man hours without a lost time injury. This record extends back to June 2005. Over the course of the last year, the company has worked very hard on safety efforts and currently has about 75 members throughout the facility that participate on the Safety Committee. Company officials state that this committee’s efforts for safety on a daily basis are the foundation for any success the company has.

The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development Safety Awards Program is designed to stimulate interest in accident prevention and to promote safety. The program recognizes manufacturing and construction firms throughout the state that achieve and maintain a safe and healthful workplace.