CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA  — Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. has been recognized its safe work environment at its Glade Spring, VA plant, receiving the Liberty Mutual Insurance Gold Safety Award.

The award is based on a “DART rate” (days away, restricted and transferred), which is calculated from the number of hours worked relative to the number of accidents at the plant. Lower numbers of accidents result in lower DART rates.

To qualify for the Gold Safety Award, the plant’s DART rate must be at least 80 percent better than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) trailer manufacturing industry’s average DART of 4.2, with a minimum of 200,000 work-hours.

Last year, Utility’s Glade Spring plant achieved a 0.84 DART Rate (80 percent better than the industry average), continuing a multi-year trend of decreasing DART rates. 

“The Glade Spring plant has now received its third Liberty Safety Award. This is the first Gold Award for the Glade Spring plant, and only the second Gold Award ever given by Liberty to Utility Trailer.  We couldn’t have achieved this Award without the continuous focus by our employees on safety, and without the quality medical care provided to our employees by our local doctors,” said Bob Griffis, corporate EHS Manager for Utility Trailer Manufacturing.

Utility Trailer Manufacturing designs and manufactures dry freight vans, flatbeds, refrigerated vans, curtainsided trailers, and side skirts. It currently operates five trailer manufacturing facilities across the U.S., with an independent dealer network with over 100 locations throughout the U.S, Canada, Mexico, and South America.