MIOHSA’s MSHARP (Michigan Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Award) award recognizes IPM’s focus on proactively anticipating accident and illness risks—rather than reacting to them.
This content was written and submitted by the supplier. It has only been modified to comply with this publication’s space and style.
IPM is only the second company in Michigan to receive the certification and only one of 9 to currently hold the certification. Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) recently completed a rigorous 6-month vetting, inspection and certification process of IPM’s Safety and Health protocols and procedures. The demanding process required multiple onsite visits by the team from Michigan OSHA.
“As an employee-owned company, our culture has always included a clear and present emphasis on workplace safety,” said Brad Lamb, President of Integrated Packaging Machinery LLC. “With the Safety Team taking the lead—each employee-owner at IPM was determined from the start of this process to achieve MSHARP certification. This award is not the end of the journey—it’s just another milestone in our ongoing worksite safety journey.”
Four people were on hand from MIOSHA to highlight IPM’s achievement. At the award presentation, Tarah Kile, MIOSHA Consultation Education and Training Division Director said, “Integrated Packaging Machinery has a clear commitment to achieving workplace safety and health excellence. The company’s safety and health management system is a model for other companies looking to improve their health and safety practices. Also on hand were PMMI’s MaryAnn Coyle and Fred Hayes.
IPM’s purposeful attention to health and safety extends far beyond the company’s headquarters and plant location. According to IPM’s Brad Breuker, “The integrated downstream secondary packaging systems we design, automate, install and commission in our customers’ high-volume food and beverage plants are a mission-critical link between our customers’ process and our customers’ customers. Any unplanned downtime caused by inattention to worksite safety and health issues is never tolerated. This MSHARP certification is one more we deliver on our uptime commitment to our customers, their employees, and their investment in technology and infrastructure.”
Still another way the IPM safety culture takes shape is in the work of Brent Boden, IPM’s EHSQ Manager. Besides his scope at IPM facilities, Boden’s scope extends to the multiple IPM employee-owners and sub-contractors onsite in IPM’s customers’ plants. Some of these installation projects may require 6 to 12 months or more to complete. Boden and his team are onsite at the start of a project and at various project milestones to monitor health and safety compliance in customer plants. In consultation with our customers, the safety protocols applied are always the most demanding ones—ours, or our customers.