Wix Filtration Corp. Earns North Carolina Dept. of Labor Awards for Safety

Tuesday, 12 July 2005

Wix Filtration Corp., with headquarters, two manufacturing facilities and a master distribution center in Gastonia, N.C., recently received four awards from the North Carolina Dept. of Labor recognizing the company for its outstanding workplace safety record.
The company’s Allen manufacturing plant and master distribution center each received “North Carolina Dept. of Labor Gold” awards for achieving a lost workday case rate at least 50 percent below the statewide rate. The “gold” designation indicates that the rate calculated for the award includes lost workdays and restricted workdays.
Wix’s master distribution center also received the “North Carolina Million Hours Worked Without a Lost-Time Accident” award.
Wix’s Dixon manufacturing plant earned the “North Carolina Dept. of Labor Silver” award. The “silver” award recognizes companies that attain an incidence rate for cases with days away from work that is at least 50 percent below the statewide rate. This designation requires applicants to calculate lost workday cases without including restricted workdays.
“These awards reflect our employees’ dedication to doing their jobs well while upholding strict safety standards,” said Keith Clark, environmental health and safety manager, Wix Filtration Corp.. “We are pleased to be recognized by the State of North Carolina for these efforts, but more important to us is that our facilities are safe workplaces.”
Wix’s injury and illness incident rate is 3.0 incidents per 100 fulltime workers. The national average for U.S. manufacturing companies is 9.0 incidents per 100 fulltime workers, and the North Carolina average is 6.4 per 100 fulltime workers.
The 0.3 percent lost workday rate for Wix also is well below national and state averages. The national average for lost workdays among U.S. manufacturing companies is 5.1 percent and in North Carolina is 4.3 percent.
“Currently, Wix has zero employees out on leave for workers compensation,” said Clark. “This is an extraordinary statistic and demonstrates the importance our company places on maintaining a safe working environment for our employees.”
Since 1939, WIX Filters has been an innovator in filtration products. WIX designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel, agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks and off-road equipment. WIX, a member of the Affinia family of brands, is the number one filter in NASCAR and an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product. WIX Filters’ Internet address is www.wixfilters.com.