City, State:
Sayre, Pennsylvania

Company:
Rynone Manufacturing Corporation

Employees:
Approximately 100 full-time workers

Success Brief:
Rynone Manufacturing Corporation (Rynone) contacted the Pennsylvania On-site Consultation Program which is administered by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2002 as part of the company’s efforts to identify ways to improve its safety and health performance.  As a result of the assistance they received from the On-site Consultation personnel, the company enhanced its safety and health management system and achieved recognition in the On-site Consultation Program’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) in 2005.  Rynone’s focus on maintaining SHARP participation since 2005 has had a positive impact on the site’s continuous improvements related to safety and health and its ability to experience declining injuries at the site. In May 2011, the site achieved one million working hours without a lost time injury.

Company Description: 
Rynone is a family owned and operated business that started in 1945.  It manufactures cultured marble vanity tops (NAICS 326191), serving distribution centers and builders throughout the northeast. The company is located in Sayre, Pennsylvania and employs 100 full-time workers.

The Situation:
In the fall of 2001, Mr. James Rieker, Safety Manager for Rynone attended an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) seminar in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and learned about the On-site Consultation Program’s SHARP.  Based on what he learned at the seminar, Mr. Rieker believed it would be advantageous for Rynone to work with On-site Consultation to improve safety and health protections at the site and pursue SHARP certification.  As a result, he discussed the significance of the certification with Rynone’s management who agreed to the company’s pursuing SHARP status. 

As a result, in 2002, Rynone contacted the Indiana University of Pennsylvania On-site Consultation Program to request a consultant’s assistance in improving their safety and health management system. Mr. Rieker says the company contacted the Indiana University of Pennsylvania On-site Consultation Program because the corporation's management team wanted safety to be better than the best for its' employees and the company.  

The Solution:
In June 2002, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s On-Site Consultation Program safety consultant conducted an initial comprehensive visit at the site which focused on total elimination of hazards at the facility. The consultant identified hazards related to process operations.  Rynone’s safety team immediately began working with the consultant and installed automated equipment.  The consultant also provided training on hazard recognition which improved Rynone’s ability to identify and correct hazards. Rynone received SHARP certification in April 2005 and reapproved in July 2006 and July 2008.    In July 2010, the Indiana On-site Consultation conducted a comprehensive on-site review of Rynone Manufacturing for its continued approval to SHARP and was renewed for recertification, a third time.

Since its initial approval to SHARP, Rynone has continued to work with the Indiana University of Pennsylvania On-site Consultation Program to improve its safety and health performance.  The company has benefited from the knowledge and expertise the consultants provide during these onsite visits.
Mr. Rieker stated after working with the Pennsylvania On-site Consultation Program, the company has made considerable progress in documenting its operational processes and demonstrating a more effective safety and health management program. 

According to Mr. Richard Rynone, President of Rynone Manufacturing Corporation, it’s through collaborative efforts that Rynone Manufacturing Corporation continues to maintain and improve it safety culture.   Employee morale is outstanding because employees participate in the safety and health program at the worksite, notes Mr. Rieker.    

The Impact:
Since SHARP certification in 2005, Rynone safety and health statistics has been significantly below the NAICS (326191) incident rate.  In May 2011, Rynone achieved 1,327 days with no lost time accidents; and reached 1,011,607 million working hours with no lost time.  Mr. Rynone states, "Continuous team work, employee involvement and management commitment are the recipe for on going safety and health success." 

Further, Rynone’s Days Away, Restricted and Transferred (DART) rate and Total Recordable Case Rate (TRCR) have declined during its SHARP participation. In 2001, before the initial consultation visit, the site's DART rate and TRCR were 2.40 and 5.44 respectively and declined to a DART rate of 0 and TRCR of 3.42 in 2009. The Bureau of Labor Statistics national industry average DART rate and TRCR for NAICS 326191 were 3.1 and 5.2 respectively in 2009.

Source:
Mr. James Rieker, Safety Manager for Rynone Manufacturing Corporation.