AK Tube plants recognized for outstanding safety performance

The Columbus, Indiana, and Walbridge, Ohio, plants of AK Tube LLC, a subsidiary of AK Steel, have been recognized for outstanding safety performance by the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, International (FMA) — a leading trade organization that serves the metal forming and fabricating industry.

By working the entire year of 2010 without any OSHA recordable injuries, AK Tube's Columbus operation has earned the Safety Award of Honor from the FMA. The recognition marks the third time that the plant has received this award. In addition, AK Tube's Columbus facility is a two-time prior recipient of the FMA's Safety Award of Merit, and is a certified Star site in the Indiana Department of Labor's Voluntary Protection Program.

AK Tube's plant in Walbridge has received the FMA's Safety Award of Merit. With a total OSHA recordable injury rate of 0.68 for the full-year 2010, the plant's safety performance was about nine times better than the rolled steel shape manufacturing industry average. The company's Walbridge operation is now a three-time recipient of the Safety Award of Merit.

"Being recognized by the FMA speaks volumes about our culture of safety at AK Steel," said James L. Wainscott, chairman, president and CEO of AK Steel. "We congratulate everyone at AK Tube in Columbus and Walbridge for their outstanding safety performance — an achievement that reflects AK Steel's commitment to safety at all of our plant operations."

All FMA safety award winners were selected by a committee sponsored by CNA Insurance Group. Calculations were performed using data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In addition to the FMA awards, the combined safety performance of AK Tube's Columbus and Walbridge plants was about 19 times better than the rolled steel shape manufacturing industry average for the full-year 2010, the company reported.