WAKEFIELD, Mass. – July 14, 2010 – The International Imaging Industry Association (I3A; http://www.i3a.org), the leading global imaging association, at a live webconference today announced the winners in its Safety Excellence Awards Program, which recognizes the highest levels of safety performance and leadership among the Association’s member companies.  Companies honored for their exemplary safety records during calendar year 2009 included Agfa Corporation (in two locations), Fujifilm (in four locations) and the Eastman Kodak Company (in 20 locations).

The awards seek to assist member companies in bringing about sustainable improvement in all areas of health and safety in the workplace.  Member company sites in all countries are encouraged to apply to the program.  Award recipient sites are determined using a combination of factors, including employing a minimum of 10 people, having an annual “Days Away from Work Incidence Rate” of 0.30 or less per 100 full time workers, and not having had a work-related “serious” regulatory citation or fatality in the last three years. 

I3A's Safety Committee evaluates applications based on these and other criteria.  The committee’s charter is to provide a forum for benchmarking and sharing learning experiences in the areas of compliance with health and safety regulation, employee training and education, identification and analysis of workplace hazards, and prevention and control of workplace hazards.

"As our Safety Excellence efforts have helped improve safety at our member company sites over the years, we have had to tighten up the requirements for receiving an award," said I3A President Lisa Walker.  "I'm pleased to say that even though our criteria were steep to start with and have become even steeper, the companies' safety performances have become so good that to receive an award now requires near-perfection!  Employees at all these sites should be very proud of their efforts."

I3A's "Best in Class" safety awards further recognize the companies with the safest workplaces, as determined by injury and illness case rates for the year, in five different areas: manufacturing, warehousing, research & development/administrative, sales & service, and photo finishing services.  The company in each category that meets all the I3A Safety Excellence Award Program criteria and has the lowest OSHA Recordable Incidence (ORI) with the most hours worked during the calendar year is recognized as being best in its class among I3A member companies.

This year's "Best in Class" safety winners were:

• Manufacturing — Eastman Kodak Company: Kodak (China) Company Limited, Xiamen, China
• Warehousing — Fujifilm North America Corp., Hanover Park, Illinois
• R&D/Administrative — Eastman Kodak Company: Rochester Research Laboratories, Rochester, New York
• Sales & Service — Fujifilm North America Corp., Irving, Texas
• Photo Services — Fujifilm North America Corp., Greenwood, South Carolina

About the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A)

I3A's vision is to enable the use of imaging to simplify and enrich people's lives through visual experiences that connect generations, communities, information and services.  I3A drives the global imaging ecosystem toward this vision by bringing members together to create standards and collaborate on initiatives that advance shared interests, foster growth, and open pathways to new markets.

I3A is an accredited Standards Developing Organization, serving as Secretariat for the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 42 (ISO/TC42) on Photography, and as administrator for the USA Technical Advisory Group for this committee.  Information about I3A can be found at http://www.i3a.org or by phone at +1 914-285-4933.  For information on joining I3A, please write or call Noel Mareno, noelm@i3a.org, +1 214-244-1927.