Four Southern Pine sawmills all members of the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) are recent recipients of the 2020 Sawmill Safety Award.
SFPA Lumber Manufacturer members are considered for the award based on information submitted regarding occupational injuries and illnesses. Safety performance is judged by how each mill’s safety record stacks up against facilities with comparable lumber output throughout the year. The results for 2020 included reports from 43 mills that recorded nearly 14 million employee hours.
Division I includes sawmills that produce 50 million board feet or less; Division II covers facilities that produce 51 to 150 million board feet; and Division III includes mills that produce more than 150 million board feet annually.
The four sawmills being honored for outstanding safety records during 2020 are:
| Division I | Almond Brothers Lumber Company – Coushatta, Louisiana |
| Division II | West Fraser Inc. – Mansfield, Arkansas |
| Division III | Weyerhaeuser Company – Millport, Alabama |
| West Fraser Inc. – Opelika, Alabama | |
“Safety is important in all business, and the sawmill business is no different,” said SFPA Executive Director Eric Gee. “We are proud that these SFPA member mills and commend them for striving to make their workplace a safe environment,” he added. The awards were presented in-person at the Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition on August 12, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia.