NAICS Code: 326150 - Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing

Number of employees: 90 Onsite

Woodbridge INOAC Olympic Products mainly manufactures and fabricates flexible polyurethane foam at its facility in Greensboro, North Carolina. The manufactured materials are used in wide range applications such as automotive, industrial materials, and furniture and bedding. After learning about the On-Site Consultation Program and its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP), the company requested a consultation visit. North Carolina Safety and Health Consultation Program conducted its first visit with Woodbridge INOAC Olympic Products in 2008 when the company’s Total Recordable Case (TRC) rate was 8.8.

North Carolina Consultation identified many different types of hazards during its early visits, including machine guarding, electrical, chemical, walking/working surfaces, respiratory, and welding. The employer responded by quickly correcting all hazards.

The company’s use of a Stop, Call, and Wait process has been instrumental to improving its safety culture. Under this system, employees are directed to Stop what they are doing, Call someone for assistance, and Wait for clear direction. Weekly safety topics are covered at pre-production meetings for all departments and then reinforced with a review of that topic during monthly plant-wide meetings. Woodbridge INOAC Olympic Products treats all first aid/near misses like a recordable incident, investigating each of them, implementing short term corrective actions within 48 hours, and implementing long term corrective action plans within 30 days. The company believes that these actions continue to keep incidence rates below average and prevent several recordable accidents each year.

The company worked diligently on its safety and health program and was awarded SHARP status in 2010. The company remains in SHARP today, with the most recent SHARP renewal in May of 2023. The SHARP program acknowledges small and medium-sized businesses that have used OSHA On-Site Consultation Program services and operate exemplary workplace safety and health programs. Small businesses that achieve SHARP status receive a deferral from OSHA or the State Plan programmed inspections for the period that the SHARP designation is valid. Acceptance of a worksite into SHARP is an achievement that identifies the employer as a model for occupational safety and health among its business peers.

Woodbridge INOAC Olympic Products supports the environment with a zero-landfill designation and was awarded the Gold Certificate of Safety two years running from the North Carolina Department of Labor (for having incidence rates at least 50% below the industry average). The company has achieved over 2 million hours worked without a lost time accident since 2011.

Companies interested in SHARP can contact their local OSHA On-Site Consultation program to discuss details and schedule an on-site safety and health evaluation. To locate the On-Site Consultation program nearest you, call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) or visit www.osha.gov/consultation.