Great Dane’s Brazil, Indiana, and Danville, Pennsylvania, plants won awards in the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association’s 2016 Plant Safety Contest. The Brazil plant was the winning trailer manufacturing plant in the large plant category and the Danville plant was the winning trailer manufacturing plant in the mid-size plant category.

“Throughout Great Dane, we have established a culture that puts safety as our first priority,” said Dean Engelage, president of Great Dane. “These awards recognize the hard work and successful efforts put forth by our Brazil and Danville employees to maintain a safe work environment each and every day.”

The Brazil plant employs more than 1,200 people and amassed a total of 2.4 million hours without a lost time incident in 2016. The plant also implemented a strong 5S program last year, assisted by a group affiliated with Purdue University. The program greatly improved housekeeping in the facility and helped create a safer work environment.  The Brazil plant is the largest of Great Dane’s 10 manufacturing plants and builds Everest reefers, Champion dry vans, Alpine truck bodies and Sahara truck bodies.

The Danville plant employs 350 people and amassed more than 700,000 hours without a lost time incident in 2016. The plant has a rigorous safety program that is based on employee involvement, safety training, employee commitment to prevention and a behavior-based safety observation process. Since 2015, the plant has worked more than 950,000 hours without a lost time injury thanks to this safety program and the dedication and vigilance of employees. The Danville plant manufactures Champion dry vans.

Since the TTMA Plant Safety Contest began in 1971, Great Dane has won a total of 37 awards in various categories. The 2016 award is the 14th win for the Brazil plant and the first win for the Danville plant.