Little Rapids Corporation - Shawano Mills
Shawano
Category A3 - Manufacturing (tie)

Little Rapids Corporation is a privately owned company with locations in Green Bay and Shawano. The Shawano Paper Mill was originally constructed in 1894, and today employs 210 workers. It currently produces wet-crepe papers, machine-glazed papers, dry-crepe single-ply, multi-ply and adhesively bonded tissue, and scrim-reinforced materials.

Shawano Specialty Papers conducts international business and has a significant presence in filtration, party goods, masking tape, food packaging, coated materials, decorative consumer napkins, diaper carrier products, industrial towel, and medical materials. The company manufactures products with respect for the environment, the health and safety of its associates and communities in which it operates.

The Shawano Mill's safety record has experienced exponential success in the last six years. The company has dramatically reduced its recordable incident rate and workers compensation costs and has worked over 500,000 hours without a lost time incident. Safety and health training starts the first day on the job and is the foundation of safety success. Before an associate is allowed to work independently, he must complete a custom-built facility safety and health-training manual and participate in on-the-floor training. Employees are tested on proficiency and knowledge at the end of the session.

All safety and health manuals, department orientation checklists, and job checklists must be completed and signed off by the associate, the trainer, safety director, department manager and training coordinator before an associate can work in the job. After two weeks on the job, new associates must take a 120-question safety and health proficiency evaluation and follow-up test. Every employee is trained to recognize and report any safety or health hazard, and to exercise the power to shut down equipment that poses immediate danger to the safety and health of employees. All employees have access to a safety hotline phone number.

The company's safety program evaluates 14 areas and examines each aspect using a three-page safety and health inspection form. Any hazard that is not immediately corrected is placed on a "safety hotlist" and prioritized by its level of risk. The safety hotlist is covered every morning in operational meetings, in which staff is given updates or completion progress.

The company establishes annual goals to be in the top five percent of the manufacturing industry for safety and health success as it relates to recordable and total incident rates.

The company has a "Proud Points" system in which it rewards employees for safety success and each month an employee is nominated as the Safety Associate of the month. The company has also established a "Home Safety Program" which associates and their families can receive personalized safety equipment for home safety needs.

Additional Information:
• Company Web Site

Contact:
Jeff Hesse
Safety and Security Director
(800) 490-5400 ext. 8024
jhesse@littlerapids.com