The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recognized Erickson as a SHARP employer. The Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP), recognized nationwide, acknowledges exceptional companies whose safety and health management programs are determined to be comprehensive and effective to the extent that they are granted a limited exemption from programmed inspections.
Mark Hurliman, VPP/SHARP Program Manager for Oregon OSHA, spoke about the importance of the SHARP program: “For 15 years, the SHARP Program has recognized companies in which employees and Management work together to make safety a major part of how they do business. Erickson Air-Crane has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the program and it is an honor to give this award today.”
Jeff Pfeifer, Senior Safety and Risk Manager at Erickson Air-Crane, revealed the unique nature of Erickson’s achievement: “The SHARP process typically involves a major commitment of resources and time. Nationwide, only a few companies begin the process, and even fewer achieve SHARP designation. Erickson’s achievement is more impressive because we attained SHARP status on the first attempt.”
Udo Rieder, President and CEO, commented on the dedication to safety that allowed the company to achieve SHARP status: “Erickson Air-Crane was successful in achieving SHARP status because of a team effort that started with the absolute commitment of top management. Working together with SAIF and OSHA consultants, we made sure that action items were justly corrected rather than masked. The result has been a true culture of change where safety remains a core value at all levels of the organization.”
In addition to its SHARP designation, American Society of Safety Engineers and Oregon OSHA awarded Erickson Air-Crane a STAR award at the 2009 conference, acknowledging its significantly improved accident rate over the past three years.
About Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated, an AS-9100 company, is the manufacturer and operator of the S-64 Aircrane helicopter with a fleet of seventeen S-64 Aircrane helicopters worldwide that have operated within sixteen countries since 1971. With a lift capacity of up to 25,000 pounds (11,340 kg), the Aircrane is unsurpassed in performance of Firefighting, Civil Protection, Hydromulch Application, Timber Harvesting, and Power Line Construction.
Erickson Air-Crane is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified Repair and Overhaul Depot with a comprehensive manufacturing, maintenance, and repair capability. Erickson’s worldwide fleet of S-64 Aircranes is supported and maintained from the manufacturing facility located in Central Point, Oregon and the corporate headquarters located in Portland, Oregon, USA.