The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) recently announced the winners of its 2015 Asphalt Operations Safety Innovation Award, as well as the winners and finalists of its Operational Excellence Awards. Both series of special recognition were made at a special ceremony during the association’s Midyear Meeting in Seattle in July.
The four Operations Safety Innovation Award winners were recognized for “the development and implementation of innovative ideas that lead to improved worker safety in a roadway work zone, plant site, or quarry environment, and companies whose safety practices go above and beyond normal safety practices.”
They were as follows:
Oldcastle Materials — Montana Companies (Helena, Mont.) for its asphalt drum non-entry rescue system, which allows the company to retrieve an employee that is injured while working in the confined space of an asphalt drum. The system consists of an anchor, aircraft cabling, turnbuckles, carabiners, a rescue pulley and rope, and a fall-protection harness. If a worker becomes unconscious in the drum or unable to climb out of it, the system can be used to hoist the person off the flights, and they can zip-line down the cable to safety.
Payne & Dolan Inc. (Waukesha, Wis.) for its lighted spray bar for a tack truck. Realizing the hazardous situation created by the 13-ft-long spray bar projecting beyond the sides of the tack truck, an employee decided to wrap the spray bar with an 18-ft LED light powered through an inverter connected to the vehicle’s battery. The lighted bar reduces a trip hazard for those in the work zone and makes the truck more visible to drivers at night.
Superior Paving Corp. (Gainesville, Va.) for its implantation of a McCav air brake warning system, which visually and audibly alerts drivers if they leave the vehicle without engaging the safety brake, which helps to avert roll-away accidents. Superior has installed the system on its entire fleet of trucks, including dump trucks, all-service vehicles, tack trucks, crash-cushion vehicles and low-boy tractors.
Valley Asphalt Corp. (Cincinnati, Ohio) for developing a freestanding transfer slat catwalk to help employees safely repair transfer slats at its plant. The company’s Asphalt Group Safety Committee used a hierarchy of hazard control steps to engineer a solution that met fall-protection needs in a more streamlined, efficient manner.
The Operational Excellence Awards were given in honor of leaders in the asphalt pavement industry for innovation and excellence in marketing, communications and community outreach with the Community Involvement, Outstanding Brochure, and Outstanding Website Awards. Companies also were lauded for their responsible practices with the Asphalt Operations Safety Innovations and the Ecological Awards for New and Existing Plants.
Winners and finalists were as follows:
Asphalt Operations Safety Innovation Award Winners:
Oldcastle Materials — Montana Companies of Helena, Mont., for the asphalt drum non-entry rescue system
Payne & Dolan Inc. of Waukesha, Wis., for a lighted spray bar on the tack truck
Superior Paving Corp. of Gainesville, Va., for the McCav air brake warning system
Valley Asphalt Corp. of Cincinnati, Ohio, for transfer slat catwalks
Community Involvement Award Winners:
The Mid-Central Division of Rogers Group Inc. of Gallatin, Tenn.
The Community Team at Silver Star Construction Co. Inc. of Moore, Okla.
Ecological Award (Existing Plant) Winner:
Ajax Paving Industries of Florida LLC of North Venice, Fla., for Plant 1 in North Venice
Ecological Award (New Plant) Winner:
Payne & Dolan Inc. of Waukesha, Wis., for Control #10 in LaGrange, Wis. (Winner)
Staker Parson Cos., an Oldcastle Materials Co., of Ogden, Utah for the Brigham City Plant (Finalist)
Outstanding Brochure Award Winner:
The Earle Companies of Wall, N.J., for “The Earle Companies Marketing Brochure”
Outstanding Website Award (State Asphalt Pavement Association):
Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association of Centennial, Colo., for www.co-asphalt.com (Winner)
Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association of Springfield, Ill., for www.il-asphalt.org (Finalist)
