The West Fraser Inc. sawmill in Mansfield, AR is the recipient of the 2020 Sawmill Safety Award in Division II, presented by the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA). This is the first time the Mansfield mill has received this respected award.
SFPA Lumber Manufacturer members are considered for the award based on information submitted regarding occupational injuries and illnesses. The results for 2020 included reports from 43 mills that recorded nearly 14 million employee hours. Safety performance is judged by how each mill’s safety record stacks up against facilities with comparable lumber output throughout the year. Division II covers facilities that produce 51-150 million board feet of Southern Pine lumber annually.
The Mansfield operation joined three other sawmills, all Lumber Manufacturer members of the Southern Forest Products Association, that received awards this year recognizing outstanding safety records during 2020.
“Safety is important in all business, and the sawmill business is no different,” said SFPA Executive Director Eric Gee. “We are proud of West Fraser’s Mansfield mill for earning this achievement and commend them for striving to make their workplace a safe environment,” he added.
The award was presented during a brief, in-person ceremony at the Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition on August 12, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. Chuck Watkins, Vice President of Capital and Technology for West Fraser accepted the award on the mill’s behalf.
