Liberty presented Tecumseh with the Silver Safety Excellence award for exceptional safety performance in the completion of 656,608 work hours while maintaining an accident rate 60 percent better than the industry average for peer facilities in 2011.

“This award is a testament to the leadership and all employees at the Tupelo facility,” said Bill Merritt, president, Tecumseh North America. “As a company, we have a fundamental obligation to provide a safe working environment, but our employees have taken it one step further with a pro-active approach to eliminating workplace hazards.”

This award comes shortly after Tecumseh’s announcement that it would invest in new equipment and modern production processes to develop the plant into a global flagship manufacturing facility. The entire project, coined Quest is in process with phase-1 completion slated for late 2012. Investments were made with support from Lee County and the state of Mississippi.

“To know that we have an outstanding safety program, which provides the foundation for our Quest project, underscores the importance that our employees play in our success,” said Joe Kulovitz, general manager, Tupelo Division, Tecumseh Products Co. “We graciously accept this recognition from Liberty Mutual, but we also know that as the new equipment and line improvements are implemented, it is more important than ever that we continue our excellent safety practices.”

Publication date: 8/20/2012