For the past ten years, the Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers (IAAP) Safety Committee has encouraged companies to adopt systems and practices that prevent injuries or illnesses by recognizing members with its “Rock Solid” safety award program.

For calendar year 2012, the IAAP Safety Committee granted 117 awards to 36 IAAP member companies at its Annual Convention in Springfield, Illinois.

Presenting these awards were Shawn McKinney, IAAP outreach manager; Pat Kirk, MSHA Peru field office supervisor; and Alan Shoemaker, IAAP safety committee chairman. “IAAP member mining company owners, their safety directors and miners make safety a priority,” said Kirk.

In developing this program, Safety Committee members identified a comprehensive list of activities required for a successful safety and health program and then assigned 1, 2 or 5 points for undertaking and documenting each of these important activities.

Using this point system, the Safety Committee created the Rock Solid Bronze (14 points), Rock Solid Silver (22 points) and Rock Solid Gold (30 points) award levels plus a special award category for exceptional performance. This highest award level, Rock Solid Excellence in Safety, is granted to companies that achieve Gold Status plus: (a) experience zero MSHA reportable or OSHA recordable injuries; (b) experience zero final MSHA S&S Citations (or OSHA equivalent); and (c) attain a total of 15 points from the five- point category.

Of the 117 operations receiving awards at the convention, 57 achieved Rock Solid Excellence in Safety status.