Staff Writer
Three supervisors at the Cascades Tissue Group in Rockingham were recently notified of their success at earning a new state certificate after a long voluntary program to sharpen their work skills.
Those supervisors are Jason Lockey, Pamela Horne and Charles Hammond with Cascades Tissue Group-North Carolina Inc.
The Board of Directors of the Manager of Environmental, Safety and Health (MESH) — a certificate series sponsored by the Safety and Health Council of NC, NC State University, and NC Department of Labor — notified the three supervisors that they had successfully completed the requirements and earned the MESH certificate.
“We are tremendously happy to recognize Jason, Pamela and Charles as recipients of the Manager of Environmental, Safety and Health certificate,” said North Carolina’s Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry. “This program prepares managers for keeping their worksites safe and healthy, and that preparation improves employee protection and company productivity.”
The MESH program is designed to increase the professionalism of environmental, safety and health managers at governmental, commercial, and manufacturing sites in North Carolina through a rigorous series of continuing education programs. The MESH program strives to recognize safety and environmental managers and raise industry standards, and increase the value of these practitioners to their employers and to whom their services are provided. In order to successfully earn the MESH certification, participants must successfully complete a minimum of 100 hours of safety education courses covering a variety of safety, health and environmental topics.
Lockey resides in Hamlet, as does Horne, while Hammond is a resident of Rockingham. They have 14, 17 and 25 respective years of service with Cascades Tissue Group here in Rockingham.
“The efforts required to achieve this certification really are truly commendable, and they demonstrate a commitment by these individuals to further advance our facility in the areas of safety, health and environmental stewardship,” said Adam Boulware, Converting Plant Superintendent.
Not only have they been actively working towards growing their knowledge base with regards to health and safety within the mill, they are also very active representing Cascades in local community and charitable events. Each of these team members most recently joined fellow Cascade team members by participating in the annual Christmas parade in Hamlet and were a part of a very large team effort that enabled Cascades Tissue to be Richmond County’s highest contributor to Relay for Life this past fall, said Boulware.
Lockey, Horne and Hammond join Karen Bellamy, as employees who have gained MESH certification. Throughout her 28 years of service at Cascades, Bellamy has earned MESH, Contractor MESH and Advanced MESH certifications in her role as Environmental Manager. Bellamy and Eric Taylor, Rockingham’s Mill Manager, have played key roles in providing opportunities and support for the staff to gain knowledge in the area of safety leadership, Boulware said. That knowledge has led to continued improvements in safety performance and participation at all levels of the organization, he added.
Boulware said 2013 will once again be “an opportunity for our employees to gain safety based knowledge, as our focus will be on production and maintenance employees attaining the MESH certification.” Several production and maintenance employees that serve as members of the Safety Committee and Risk Assessment Teams are in the process, and are on track to complete their North Carolina accredited training plans in the next year.
Cascades Tissue Group is a global manufacturer of consumer and commercial paper products including tissue paper, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue. This particular facility, located here in Rockingham, employs approximately 130 local residents, produces 100 percent recycled paper products, and has demonstrated a very strong environmental and safety record within the paper industry and the local community, said Boulware.
“Cascades Tissue is very proud to recognize the accomplishment of these employees for their demonstrated leadership, as well as their commitment to providing a safe place to work for our employees here in Richmond County,” he said.
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