Columbia, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy A. Walker on Monday visited Buckeye Corrugated Inc. (BCI) - Lancaster Division to recognize its managers and employees for their outstanding commitment to workplace safety and injury prevention. Secretary Walker presented BCI with a 2025 Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence (GASE), recognizing the company’s proactive safety culture, strong employee engagement, and commitment to innovation in workplace safety.
“Ensuring the safety of workers is among the highest responsibilities of any employer, and it’s a top priority for the Shapiro Administration,” said L&I Secretary Nancy A. Walker. “BCI’s Lancaster Division exemplifies what can be achieved when safety is a shared priority by management and employees. Their approach to safety - built on collaboration, innovation, and accountability - sets a powerful example for manufacturers across Pennsylvania.”
“Safety is something that we all own at BCI. This award reflects everyone’s effort that has been put in over the years to make BCI a safe place to work,” said BCI Lancaster Division General Manager Doug Stechman. “We will keep safety at the forefront of everything we do, and we look forward to continuing to make improvements to our program and growing our culture of safety at BCI.”
Based in Columbia Borough, BCI’s Lancaster Division is an employee-owned manufacturer of corrugated boxes and displays with 108 employees. The company maintains a certified workplace safety committee, holds OSHA Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program certification recognizing its exemplary safety practices verified through on-site OSHA consultation, and has a low Experience Modification Rate, an insurance metric showing fewer workplace injuries than the industry average.
BCI’s award-winning safety culture is the result of years of continuous improvement, employee participation, and innovation across all levels of the organization. The company’s leadership and certified safety committee work together to identify risks, strengthen policies, and foster a workplace where every employee takes ownership of safety. Among the standout practices that earned BCI statewide recognition are the following:
- Entrenched behavior-based safety culture emphasizing a clean, safe work environment.
- A certified workplace safety committee serves as the cornerstone of the company’s safety program.
- Dedicated environmental health and safety personnel gather and share best practices across multiple BCI locations nationwide.
- Strong written safety program with detailed job hazard and job safety analyses, along with lock out/tag out procedures that include clear, visual instructions.
- Proactive forklift safety initiatives, including enhanced guarding beyond manufacturer standards, illuminated walkways to highlight forklift routes, and infrared cameras to monitor heat and movement.
Since 1997, the Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence has recognized outstanding workplace safety programs that reduce injuries, promote management and employee collaboration, and advance Pennsylvania’s culture of workplace safety.
L&I supports safety throughout the Commonwealth through programs such as certified workplace safety committees and the Pennsylvania Training for Health and Safety (PATHS) program. More than 13,000 certified workplace safety committees have been established since 1994, protecting over 1.6 million workers and saving employers more than $900 million in workers’ compensation premiums. The PATHS program provides free, customizable safety training to employers, reaching more than 35,000 participants annually.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, please visit the website or follow L&I on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
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