The Southern Forest Products Association has announced the 2022 John Edgar Rhodes Sawmill Safety Excellence Awards, and we’re excited to share this is the second year in a row there are seven mills receiving 2022 Sawmill Safety Awards with zero incidents among them.
For 2022, 43 SFPA member mills responded to the Safety Award survey, representing 14,270,450 total hours worked with 133 incidents reported among 6,104 employees. The 2022 Safety Awards recipients, meanwhile, represent 1,665,264 total hours worked among 725 employees with zero incidents among them.
“In an industry where worker safety is paramount, it is no small accomplishment to operate without any reportable incidents,” said Eric Gee, SFPA’s executive director. “We are extremely proud of each of these operations and their commitment to safety excellence.”
The SFPA Safety Awards embody the impact, dedication and legacy of John Edgar Rhodes, one of the lumber industry’s most revered and celebrated leaders. He had a successful career in the forest and paper industry. Prior to joining the SPA, he was a personal secretary to Frederick Weyerhaeuser and was well-versed in forest management, newsprint production, and lumber manufacturing. At the Association, he served as secretary-manager from our founding in 1915 until his untimely death in 1923.
Under John’s leadership, the SPA grew into the model trade association in American industry. He was a strong champion for the forest products industry advocating for proactive forest resource management and standardized grading rules.
As a refresher, 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 based on their 2022 OSHA Form 300A they submit to SFPA, and awards are presented in three divisions.
Division One: 2022 Safety Awards recipients
(SFPA member mills that produce 50 million board feet or less annually)
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McShan Lumber Co.
- Location: McShan, AL
- Number of Total Awards: 2
- Streak: 1 year
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Weyerhaeuser
- Location: Zwolle, LA
- Number of Total Awards: 7
- Streak: 2 years
Division Two: 2022 Safety Awards recipients
(SFPA member facilities that produce 51 to 150 million board feet annually)
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Lampe & Malphrus Lumber Co.
- Location: Smithfield, NC
- Number of Total Awards: 4 (2 in Div. 1; 2 in Div 2)
- Streak: 2 years
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West Fraser
- Location: Fitzgerald, GA
- Number of Total Awards: 2
- Streak: 2 years
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West Fraser
- Location: Lake Butler, FL
- Number of Total Awards: 1
- Streak: 1 year
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Weyerhaeuser
- Location: New Bern, NC
- Number of Total Awards: 5 (1 in Div. 3; 4 in Div. 2)
- Streak: 1 year
Division Three: 2022 Safety Awards recipients
(SFPA member mills that produce more than 150 million board feet annually)
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Weyerhaeuser
- Location: Millport, AL
- Number of Total Awards: 9 (6 in Div. 2; 3 in Div. 3)
- Streak: 1 year
Each mill received recognition and a plaque during the Sawmill & Safety Breakfast at the 37th Forest Products Machinery & Equipment EXPO at the Music City Center on Thursday, August 24 in Nashville. T-shirts for all sawmill team members and hard hat stickers with the 2022 Sawmill Safety Award logo were mailed to each location.