July 7, 2008

Siewert Cabinet and Fixture Manufacturing receives safety and health award, recognized July 11

Workplace safety and health representatives from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) will recognize Siewert Cabinet and Fixture Manufacturing, Inc., for its achievement as a Minnesota Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (MNSHARP) worksite at 11 a.m., July 11, at 2640 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis.

MNSHARP is a Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) program that recognizes companies where managers and employees work together to develop safety and health programs that go beyond basic compliance with all applicable OSHA standards and result in immediate and long-term prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses. DLI Commissioner Steve Sviggum will address the company and present the award.

"We congratulate Siewert Cabinet for its achievement. Now, the company is viewed as one of the best of the best in safety and health," Sviggum said. "Our agency is proud to have them as our partner. Together, we will ensure more employees come home safe and healthy at the end of the workday."

To achieve MNSHARP status, the company worked with MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation to assemble a comprehensive safety and health program that includes management leadership and employee involvement, an allocation of resources to address safety issues, systems that identify and control workplace hazards, and a plan for employee safety training and education.

"We are thrilled to have achieved MNSHARP status. It is a testament to our employees and their commitment to safe operations," said Rick Siewert, president, Siewert Cabinet and Fixture Manufacturing Inc. "MNSHARP is a challenging program and we are committed to maintaining its rigorous standards."

Siewert Cabinet began as a residential kitchen cabinet supplier in 1965. Since then, it has grown into a full-service commercial supplier of architectural millwork, casework and design services.

Commissioner Sviggum and other DLI representatives will commemorate the company's employee-employer partnership by presenting a MNSHARP flag and a certificate that exempts the worksite from MNOSHA Compliance scheduled inspections for two years.

MNSHARP began in Minnesota in 1996. Siewert Cabinet and Fixture is one of 30 active MNSHARP worksites in Minnesota.

For more information, visit www.dli.mn.gov/mnsharp.asp.

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News media contact:
James Honerman
(651) 284-5313