May 28, 2003—Businesses from Champaign, Paris, Peoria, and Springfield, Illinois have taken top honors in the first annual “Z Project” awards for innovative workplace safety and health practices and concepts developed by private sector employers in 81 of Illinois’ 102 counties. The Z Project, organized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA)[[KATRINE: LIVE LINK TO www.osha.gov] Peoria-area office and named after its director Peggy Zweber, encourages Central and Southern Illinois employers to eliminate and control hazards.
This year’s awards were presented in four categories:
- The Lifesaver Award, presented for a control that could save a life, was given to Arkay Plastics, Paris, Illinois, for a fall protection system the company and workers developed to reach resin hoppers that are 15 to 20 feet off the ground.
- Mel-O-Cream Donuts International, Inc., in Springfield received the Pluto Award for a concept that is unusual and innovative. The Springfield company designed and is using an innovative database system that allows identification of hazards throughout the workplace, ensures employee involvement, and assists in prioritizing hazards and managing implementation of controls.
- The Alveoli Protection Award for a control that improves air quality was presented to P.J. Hoerr Construction Co., Peoria, for a unique and inexpensive quick fix to provide a water spray for an employee cutting concrete blocks, thus protecting him from silica overexposure.
- Highest honors, the Z Project Award, went to Advanced Filtration Systems, Inc., Champaign, for the introduction of robotics to assist in the handling, movement, and assembly of filter systems for employees inspecting products. This innovative hazard control greatly decreased potential risks associated with musculoskeletal disorders, or ergonomic-related injuries.
