Kraus-Anderson Earns a Minnesota Safety Council Governor’s Safety Award

In early May, Kraus-Anderson received a Meritorious Achievement Award for their continued dedication to workplace safety and health. Kraus-Anderson was one of 191 employers to be honored at the 2022 Minnesota Safety and Health Conference, coordinated by the Minnesota Safety Council.

“During a time that has challenged all of us in many ways, we are honored to recognize Kraus-Anderson for their award,” said Paul Aasen, president of the Minnesota Safety Council. “Congratulations to KA for helping to make life safer inside their organization and beyond.”

Kraus-Anderson’s commitment to safety — from jobsite to office — earned the company the highest achievement award for the 18^th time since 1991.

“We’re always thinking safety first, from planning out the simplest task to the largest, most complex job. We want to educate our workers to be safety-conscious and put safety at the forefront of every thought and process we perform,” Jay VanderLeest, director of safety, said.

Since 1934, the annual Governor’s Safety Awards program has honored Minnesota employers with exceptional safety performance. Applicants are judged on several years of injury data as it compares with their industry’s national statistics and on their progress in implementing a comprehensive safety program. Winners are recognized at three levels:

• Meritorious Achievement (68 winners): Incidence rates that are better than the industry average for at least three years, and a score between 50 and 74 on a 100-point safety program evaluation scale.
• Outstanding Achievement (83 winners): Continuing improvement and/or a continuing outstanding record with incident rates that are 51%-90% better than the industry average, and a score between 75 and 90 on the safety program evaluation scale.
• Award of Honor (40 winners): Incidence rates at least 91% better than the industry average, and a score between 91 and 100 on the safety program evaluation scale.

“Each person should leave work at the end of each day in a better place than when they started,” VanderLeest said. “A company focused on safety is a healthy company. KA puts employees in a position to be successful, ultimately fostering a successful company.”

The Minnesota Safety Council, founded in 1928, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional injuries on the road, at work, at home, and in the community.