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Findlay Plant Manager Jack Hamilton and CPI Manager Aaron Brown congratulate Neil Bockrath, center, on winning the top SAFE card PEAKS award for Findlay during December.

Texarkana Curing Manager Darren Telford nominated spray and inspect operator Charles Coulter for a top December SAFE card award.

Bockrath, Coulter Named December 2009
SAFE Card PEAKS Winners

Findlay mill room Shift Supervisor Neil Bockrath and Texarkana spray and inspect operator Charles Coulter won the top December 2009 SAFE card awards.

Nominated by Findlay Plant Manager Jack Hamilton, Neil was selected for his safety leadership and going out of his way to protect his co-workers.

"Neil’s action to correct a potential safety hazard is one example of his 'above and beyond' action for helping others," Jack said. "Neil, a C-crew member, had finished his shift and was on his way out of the plant when he noticed a potential safety hazard in a high-traffic area outside his department. Neil gave more of his time by taking the necessary action to correct the situation before leaving the plant.

"His willingness to deal with the situation and not pass it on to someone else, especially after just completing a 12-hour shift, is very commendable," Jack said. "Thanks to Neil for his commitment to safety in our plant, and his efforts to stop and correct a problem, possibly preventing someone from being injured."

Nominated by Texarkana Curing Manager Darren Telford, Charles also went out of his way to ensure correction of a safety issue.

"Charles was working in the spray booth area when he noticed a damaged piece of equipment and took steps to have it repaired. By taking the initiative to report a potentially unsafe condition and get it repaired quickly, Charles contributed greatly to eliminating the chance of a serious incident at the Texarkana plant," Darren said.

Cooper launched its PEAKS reward program last year. The PEAKS acronym stands for the program’s five key elements: rewarding the People who have made Cooper what it is today; rewarding the Engagement and Achievement that follow; promoting Knowledge; and recognizing Success. It is designed to recognize and reward Cooper people for their ongoing efforts and to benefit those who are leading our most important initiatives.

The safety PEAKS program encompasses two recognition areas: Cooper SAFE cards, for employees who work especially hard to promote safety by going above-and-beyond their normal work responsibilities; and in the production areas, incentive points for plants achieving predetermined annual safety goals.

Employees winning any of the PEAKS awards earn points deposited into an individual online account that works much like collecting frequent-flier miles. As of Jan. 1 this year, quarterly winners in the Cooper SAFE cards program will receive 111,000 points. In addition, the manager issuing the winning nomination at each facility will also be awarded 35,000 PEAKS points. Employees may access individual accounts through the program Web site at www.CooperPEAKS.com.