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William E. Sanders, Jr., President of the Duvinage Corporation (left) joins
James Fielder, Maryland Secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing, and
Regulation in presenting the SHARP award to Paul Sadler, Jr., Duvinage
Corporation Vice President of Manufacturing Operations.
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Duvinage Corporation, America’s largest manufacturer of custom built staircases,
exemplifies what it means to be SHARP and has enjoyed a total case rate (TCR)
and days away restricted transfer rate (DART) below comparable industry rates
for six consecutive years – since 1998. With a rich 106-year history in
Hagerstown, Maryland and an industry-wide reputation for the quality and beauty
of their work, Duvinage staircases appear in the White House and the National
Gallery of Art. The management team at Duvinage sees their participation in
SHARP as an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to worker safety.
Working jointly with Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) Consultation
Services, Duvinage has corrected safety defects with existing equipment and
developed viable, company-wide safety programs. Additionally, MOSH Consultation
has helped to identify hazards and recommend affordable options for hazard
correction — ultimately resulting in a safer overall operation which, according
to Duvinage, was achievable with no loss in production from its 32 employees.
Through SHARP, safety has become a key feature of the Company’s culture; but
rather than offer incentive programs, managers at Duvinage focus on effective
employee training to encourage and tactically support continuous improvement in
the area of safety. Further, because Duvinage is employee owned, the “safety
pays” concept is intrinsically woven into daily practices and is a fundamental
matter of profitability for the company’s shareholder-employees. The Duvinage/MOSH
collaborative is by all accounts a success and has enabled Duvinage to be a
visible champion for safety within the industry and proactively achieve its
strategic goal of maintaining an accident free work environment.
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