2023 Milliken Honors - Safety Champion Award - Ghent Textile Plant

“The safety and health of all its people is of primary importance to Milliken & Company.”

Milliken’s longstanding commitment to safety can be summed up in this statement—the introductory line and the heart of our safety policy. When we prioritize safety in the workplace, we create a place where associates are cared for and help contribute to resilient hometown communities.

It would only make sense then that we would have a safety-related award as part of the annual Milliken Honors awards program. The Safety Champion Award is presented to the Milliken site, individual associate, or team of associates who best represents the Milliken safety culture through actions and results.

The team at the Ghent Textile Plant has illustrated what it means to be a champion of safety over the last year.

We chose to award the Safety Champion honor to the entire plant because only together as a team could they achieve what they did. The Ghent Textile Plant set out to shift the site's safety and health culture, accelerating safety-oriented job specifications and policies with daily prioritization and engagement. Under new team leadership, the Ghent Textile Plant was invigorated with a new sense of collaboration and dedication under the banner of safety. Associates reached out with ideas to improve operations, and management opened more direct communication lines to engage with these ideas. Leadership also initiated regular work and safety events to build connections while increasing safety awareness.

There were significant increases in market demands in 2023, and the Ghent Textile Plant team demonstrated an unwavering commitment to safety through it all. The plant surpassed 500 days between recordable last-time incidents, a record-shattering feat.

Our deepest appreciation goes out to the Ghent Textile Plant for banding together to protect their teammates on the job. Your impact can be felt throughout the plant, the community, and the broader Milliken organization.