Alabama Firestone Facility Reaches Safety Milestone

By Art Aisner, Editor-in-Chief

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Firestone Building Products Company, LLC recently commended employees at its Muscle Shoals, Ala. manufacturing facility for working one million man-hours without a lost-time accident. The milestone is a huge accomplishment that was more than nine years in the making.

“Safety is ingrained in our operations, and reflects the commitment of all teammates, from leadership to the plant floor,” said Coy L. Johnson, plant manager. “This accomplishment reflects the hard work of many, and I am pleased that our plant is joining the ranks of Firestone Building Products facilities that have achieved this significant milestone.”

Firestone has an established safety and health program that includes training, evaluation of basic systems, internal audits and continuous improvement. Daily, monthly and quarterly meetings focus on workplace safety and process safety management. Teammates are fully engaged in the safety process, and there is active, visible involvement of all levels of management.

The Muscle Shoals plant produces thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) single-ply roofing membranes for high performance roofing systems, and will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. Since 2006, the plant has been recognized with five internal safety awards for dedication to employee safety in the workplace.

The company expanded the Muscle Shoals plant by adding 150,000 square feet — more than double its original size — in 2013. Since then, the facility has modified one production line, added another production line and added a new production process, all which created about 80 new jobs in the local community.

The plant hosted a celebration commemorating the milestone on Oct. 7. Community leaders, including Tuscumbia, Ala. Mayor Billy S. Shoemaker, Executive Director of Shoals Economic Development Authority (SEDA) Forrest Wright, and Solid Waste Authority Manager Howard Keeton were in attendance, along with Firestone’s Director of Manufacturing Tamara Martensen. For more information about Firestone, visit www.firestonebpco.com.

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Art Aisner is Editor-in-Chief of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He spent the bulk of his career as a multi-media journalist for newspapers and television stations before joining the RC team in 2015. He is the driving force behind the publication’s content development, editorial strategy and other initiatives that serve growing audiences in the roofing space.