Blue Diamond Growers Manufacturing Facility Achieves Major Safety Milestone

Salida Facility Reaches Five Million Hours Worked without Lost Time Incident

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Dec 15, 2020, 17:15 ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Diamond Growers' Salida, California, manufacturing facility recently achieved five million working hours without Lost Time Incident (LTI). The team's current safety milestone journey began June 2015.

Joining Salida’s 5 Million Hour safety milestone celebration was (left to right) Anthony Melo, Director of Global Quality and Safety; Jeff Hatfield, Vice President of Manufacturing; Mark Jansen, President and CEO; Mary Ann Henriques, Manager of Occupational Health and Safety; Dennis Bettencourt, Salida Site Director; and Brian Barczak, Senior Vice President of Global Supply, for Blue Diamond Growers.

During a socially responsible event, the company celebrated its employees for their role in accomplishing this milestone and their commitment to safety. Sharing remarks of gratitude to the team were Mark Jansen, President and CEO; Brian Barczak, Senior Vice President of Global Supply; Jeff Hatfield, Vice President of Manufacturing; Dennis Bettencourt, Salida Site Director; Anthony Melo, Director of Global Quality and Safety; and Mary Ann Henriques, Manager of Occupational Health and Safety, for Blue Diamond Growers.

First opened in 1969, Blue Diamond's 675,000 square foot Salida facility sits on 44 acres and includes a retail Nut & Gift Shop. The plant, which employs 450 to 600 employees, including seasonal team members, is the largest almond receiving station in the world with six warehouses on site and the ability to receive 5.5 million pounds of both almond inshell and meats per day.

On-site manufacturing capabilities include storage, processing/pasteurization, packaging and logistics. Blue Diamond's internal fleet is also managed out of Salida, handling shipping between Salida and other Blue Diamond sites.

During peak Harvest, more than 100 truckloads of almonds will be received each day at the Salida site. In June 2020, the site opened a new 58,000 square foot Bulk 8 Warehouse adding an additional 50 million pounds of in-house bulk almond storage capacity in time to receive the 2020 almond harvest -- expected to be record-breaking volume.

"Our Salida site's impressive safety milestone showcases Blue Diamond's robust Health & Safety program and our commitment to a Zero Harm culture," said President and CEO Mark Jansen. "Safety is a year-round priority for the co-op's 1,800 employees and we are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment."

Jansen largely attributes Blue Diamond's success in workplace safety to a workforce that's dedicated to personal responsibility and continuous improvement. In Salida, the site's safety program includes grassroots Safety Culture Teams, a dedicated Employee Safety Committee, OSHA 10 Hour Training (90% of the Salida team has achieved), Safety Champions, and annual participation in OSHA's National Safe and Sound Week.

Blue Diamond's significant safety achievement was acknowledged by the National Safety Council through its Million Work Hours Award program milestone plaque for the Salida facility.

About Blue Diamond
Blue Diamond Growers, a grower-owned cooperative representing over 3,000 of California's almond growers, is the world's leading almond marketer and processor. Established in 1910, it created the California almond industry and opened world markets for almonds. Blue Diamond is dedicated to delivering the benefits of almonds around the world and does so by providing high-quality almonds, almond ingredients and branded products. Headquartered in Sacramento, the company employs more than 1,800 people throughout its processing plants, receiving stations and gift shops. To learn more about Blue Diamond Growers, visit www.bluediamond.com and follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE Blue Diamond Growers