Improving Business in the Wilmington Region
ACME Smoked Fish Corp. Recognized as a North Carolina Star Site by OSHA
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA SMOKED FISH FACILITY AWARDED STATE’S HIGHEST SAFETY HONOR
Acme Smoked Fish Corp. announced today that the company’s Wilmington smoked fish facility will be recognized as a North Carolina Safety Site from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Carolina Star Program – which is equivalent to the federal Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star certification, is designed to recognize employers and employees who have implemented effective safety and health management systems. Acme will be a proactive partner with the N.C. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division to continue operating a safe workplace that is focused on: (1) management commitment and leadership; (2) employee involvement and participation; (3) hazard identification and evaluation; (4) hazard prevention and control; and (5) safety and health training.
According to the N.C. Department of Labor, there are currently 250,000 employer-based businesses in the state, and just 151 Star Sites. Acme is now the only Star Site within the seafood industry in the United States. The rigorous two-year application process included several audits of Acme’s facility, interviews with dozens of Acme employees, and participation in a safety conference, among other activities.
On Thursday, June 20, North Carolina Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry will visit Acme’s facility and present a star flag. At 12:00pm, the Commissioner will present a flag to the Acme team, followed by lunch and a meet and greet. Media are invited to attend. The event will take place on the lawn in front of Acme’s facility at 360 Acme Way in Wilmington, NC 28401, located within Pender Commerce Park.
“It is a very proud day for Acme Smoked Fish to earn this distinction and become a Star Site. To work with employees who go above and beyond in the workplace every day and who prioritize safety helps us run our operation at a gold standard level,” says David Caslow, co-CEO of Acme Smoked Fish.
“I’m honored to be part of a real partnership between Acme management, our employees, and the North Carolina OSHA team,” says Brandon Sproles, EHS Manager at Acme’s North Carolina facility. “We work diligently to operate a safe workplace, and our employees not only excel as a cohesive team, but the effort they put into this rigorous process was extraordinary and, allowed us to achieve this distinction. We look forward to working with OSHA in the years to come.”
Acme also recently received recognition of their high safety standards from the North Carolina Department of Labor: a Certificate of Safety Achievement as a 1st Time Gold Level Award. Administered through the Education, Training and Technical Assistance Bureau of the Occupational Safety and Health Division, the Safety Awards Program recognizes safe and healthful practices in the workplace. The company also has also been recognized by BRC Global Standards with an AA rating, the highest possible rating for food and food ingredient manufacturing, processing, and packing.
Acme processes more than 10 million pounds of high-quality cold smoked salmon per year in their 100,000-square foot Wilmington facility. The company opened in Wilmington, NC in 2015 to expand the company’s operations beyond Brooklyn. The operation has hired more than 90 new employees over the past 2.5 years as part of an overall expansion.
To learn more, please visit www.acmesmokedfish.com and follow along on Instagram at @acmesmokedfish for the latest updates.
June 20th, 2019 by ACME Smoked Fish
