Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.’s Uncasville, Conn., containerboard mill has earned a Safety and Health Recognition Program (SHARP) award, the highest certification given to small employers for workplace safety and health. The mill, which employs about 100 workers, is one of just nine Connecticut companies to receive the recognition awarded by the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CONN-OSHA) and the U.S. Department of Labor.

The SHARP designation allows Smurfit-Stone exemption from OSHA’s general schedule inspection list during the two-year award period.

SHARP is a voluntary program that recognizes small employers who operate an exemplary safety and health management system. Participating companies must request a comprehensive safety and health consultative visit involving a complete hazard identification survey, and involve employees in the process. All identified hazards must then be corrected, with the injury and illness rates being lower than the national average for that industry.