NAMPA, Idaho — Employees at a Nampa sugar processing plant found a sweet way to mark a safety milestone.
John McCreedy, the CEO of Amalgamated Sugar Company, said the company ties safety performance to charitable donations. After hitting 500,000 work hours without an accident, employees presented a $5,000 check to Make-A-Wish Idaho.
"That's really what today's event was about: Achieving 500,000 safe work hours at a factory like our factory is really, really difficult to do," McCreedy said. "The first time we have ever done it as a company is here at our Nampa factory."
An explosion at the facility injured five workers in September 2020.
McCreedy said employees got to pick the nonprofit that would receive the donation, and selected Make-A-Wish. Previous recipients have included the Idaho Foodbank, Habitat for Humanity, and the Twin Falls Humane Society.
Sugarbeet growers, delivery drivers, factory workers, and every other employee at the Nampa site worked to achieve the safety milestone, he said.
"It takes everybody. Altogether that is about 1,700 employees. During harvest that number goes up even more," McCreedy said. "So to achieve these milestones of 500000 or 250000 hours really takes every employee, every person who is involved in our organization."
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