Marden's in Scarborough Recognized for Workplace Safety

Earns SHARP certification at its tenth location
Scarborough, Maine - Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette announced that the Marden's store in Scarborough has earned the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program Award (SHARP). This certification recognizes businesses that voluntarily undertake a rigorous safety achievement program.

"I first became aware of the SHARP-Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program-many years ago," said Governor Paul R. LePage. "Over the past decade, as the general manager of the Marden's chain of stores in Maine, we used SafetyWorks! to help us move from OSHA's site-specific targeting list to certifying several of our stores and distribution centers as SHARP sites, significantly reducing workplace injuries."

"I congratulate Marden's for continuing in this valuable program. Other businesses can benefit from taking advantage of this important service to increase safety and save money by decreasing workers' comp costs and maintaining productivity," the Governor said.

Acceptance into SHARP by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes a business as a model for worksite safety and health standards.

"We congratulate Marden's for certifying their tenth worksite-eight stores and two distribution centers," Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette said. "SHARP employers demonstrate the importance of focusing on worker safety," she explained. "They know that better safety means a better quality of life for staff, improved morale, less lost time due to injury and illness and lower workers' comp costs."

To qualify for SHARP, companies must undergo a comprehensive audit, correct all hazards identified during an onsite health and safety consultation, demonstrate that effective safety and health programs are in place and maintain injury rates below the industry average for the last year of completed data. After awarding the SHARP designation, OSHA will remove the Scarborough Marden's from its general scheduled inspection list for two years. If the business location continues to meet all conditions of the program, the SHARP designation may be renewed for another two years.

Fewer than 2,000 worksites in the United States have earned SHARP certification.

Employers interested in learning more about becoming a SHARP worksite should contact SafetyWorks! at 1-877-SAFE 345 (1-877-723-3345) or http://www.safetyworksmaine.com . SafetyWorks! provides a trained consultant with industry-specific expertise who will review the facility by appointment. The consultation may include such elements as recognizing safety hazards, sampling for air and noise exposures, recommending ways to reduce or to eliminate hazards, developing or improving a safety program, complying with federal OSHA regulations and identifying training needs.

SafetyWorks! is not OSHA and cannot issue fines or citations to private businesses. While SafetyWorks! helps businesses of any size, priority is given to small businesses. The program trains about 8,000 people and consults at nearly 1,000 worksites in Maine each year.