Baldor Electric Company's gearbox manufacturing plant located in Belton, South Carolina, recently completed 18 years without a lost time accident, and the employees have worked one year without any recordable accidents. Recently the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation recognized the facility as a 2016 Palmetto Shining Star recipient for achieving 1 million or more safe work hours without a lost-time injury. “We teach our employees that if they see a safety issue, they own it,” said Paul Beaumont, safety manager for the Belton facility. “We focus on consistent communications about safety and expectations of personal responsibility. Our whole team has passion for doing the right thing, and we really work to take care of one another.”

Mike Ross, Belton plant manager, added, “I am very proud of the Belton employees. When we are asked how we maintain our safety culture, I’m quick to point out that our team has a strong sense of pride in the work we do, and each person has accepted personal responsibility for safety. Using the principles of SafeStart, we are learning to use the same concepts and behaviors at home with our families that we do at work.”

The Belton facility, at its current location since 1995 and expanded in 2014, produces over 100,000 right angle worm and helical gearboxes per year for industrial users.