Recognizing safety and health excellence has long been a priority for the Oklahoma Department of Labor's On-Site Consultation Program. One way that Oklahoma On-Site Consultation recognizes employers is through its SAFE (Safe Award for Excellence) Award, which is presented annually at the Oklahoma Health and Safety Conference. More than 360 participants attended the 2023 conference.

The SAFE Award contest provides a venue for employers to showcase their successes, best practices, creativity, and to tell their safety and health story in a way that will educate and inspire other employers to do the same. The recognition of excellence through the SAFE Award also provides companies a chance to share with attendees their valuable experiences with On-Site Consultation.

The two recipients of the 2023 SAFE awards have an active working relationship with their consultation program. Maska Builders LLC from Jenks, Oklahoma has worked with Oklahoma On-Site Consultation since 2019 and has implemented the SHIELD (Safety, Honesty, Integrity, Excellence, Leadership, and Dependability) program to further promote and reward a company culture that values safety. The purpose of the Maska Builders Safety and Health policy is to develop a high standard of safety throughout all operations of the company. They also believe that preventing occupational injuries and illnesses increases job satisfaction.

Builders FirstSource- Lumberyard from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has worked with Oklahoma On-Site Consultation since 2021. The company's set of core values is called S.P.I.C.E (Safety-People-Integrity-Customers-Excellence). The employees receive job-specific safety training on such subjects as fall protection and machine guarding on their first day of work. They are also assigned a mentor that will work with them one-on-one for at least 90 days to ensure that expectations are clear, processes and procedures are followed, and to provide coaching and guidance.

The OSHA On-Site Consultation Program offers no-cost and confidential occupational safety and health services to small and medium-sized businesses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories, with priority given to high hazard worksites. Consultants from state agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards and how to fix them, provide advice for compliance with OSHA standards, train and educate workers, and assist in establishing and improving safety and health programs. On-Site Consultation services are separate from OSHA enforcement efforts. To locate the OSHA On-Site Consultation program nearest you, call 800-321-OSHA (6742) or visit https://www.osha.gov/consultation.