The city of Salisbury has been recognized by the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) with a “First Year, Silver Award” for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace in 2016.

The Silver Award recognizes an organization in which employees did not miss more than 1.7 days of work, were not restricted from activity and were not transferred due to injury.

This was the first safety award for the city of Salisbury.

“This award is a direct reflection of our employees’ commitment to safety,” said Darius Chisholm, Salisbury risk manager. “The city has worked tirelessly to instill the importance of safety in the workplace in our staff – our most valuable resource. We fully intend to keep moving in the right direction of zero lost-time accidents on the job.”

According to its website, the NCDOL Safety Awards Program “recognizes private and public firms throughout the state that achieve and maintain good safety records. The program is designed to stimulate interest in accident prevention and to promote safety in the workplace by providing an incentive to employers and employees to maintain a safe and healthful workplace.”

The statewide program includes more than 5,000 North Carolina firms, and about 3,000 awards are presented each year. In order to qualify for an award, businesses must have no fatalities and an injury/incidence rate below the average for their industry.