At its 2024 Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet, the Institute of Makers of Explosives (IME) recognized member companies with the Tricia Appleton Award for Safety which is the organization’s highest award given to those member companies with zero recordable safety incidents the previous year.
At this year’s awards banquet, the Tricia Appleton Award for 2023 was given to six IME member companies, an increase from the four companies that received the award for 2022.
“The late Tricia Appleton was a relentless advocate for safety and we’re extremely proud of these six member companies for achieving the highest honor IME can give for safety,” said IME President Clark Mica. “The increase in the number of companies receiving this award represents our industry’s long-standing commitment to keeping our workforce and their surrounding communities safe. Congratulations to all of these companies on a job well done!”
The IME member companies receiving the award for zero safety incidents in 2023 include: Enaex, Maxam North America, Senex Explosives, EBV Explosives Environmental Control (General Dynamics), Detotec North America and Contract Drilling and Blasting.
The Tricia Appleton Award’s namesake was a long-time employee of IME member JRC Halliburton and an active IME member who long advocated for safety and pushed IME to recognize those member companies with outstanding safety records.
“It’s an honor for Detotec to be recognized with the Appleton Award and I want to congratulate the rest of this year’s award winners,” said Tim O’Brien, president of Detotec North America and Chair of IME’s board of governors. “Workplace safety is something we preach daily, and these awards presented in Tricia’s memory are a testament to the culture of safety created by the hardworking men and women in the commercial explosives industry.”
IME also awarded seven member companies with its annual Safety and Health Certificates of Excellence given to IME member companies with a total recordable incident rate (TRIR) better than the average overall rate achieved by the chemical manufacturing industry for the year 2023.
The seven companies receiving the award this year represent an increase from five companies that received the award last year.
“I want to congratulate these seven companies for their commitment for continuing to create safe working environments for their employees,” said Mica. “We’re proud to recognize these companies for their leadership in the safe and secure manufacture, transport, distribution and use of commercial explosives.”
The seven companies receiving the IME Safety and Health Certificates of Excellence include: Nelson Brothers, Hunting Titan, Orica USA, Baker Hughes, Halliburton – Jet Research Center (JRC), MP Associates, and Dyno Nobel. This marks the third year in a row Orica, Dyno Nobel and Halliburton – JRC have been awarded with these certificates. It is the second year in a row Baker Hughes has been recognized.
“Safety is the foundation of everything that we do at IME,” said Jessie Kelsey of Accurate Energetics Systems (AES) and chair of IME’s Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs (SHEA) Committee. “These member companies deserve this recognition for their achievements, and I want to congratulate them for their commitment to a safe and secure commercial explosives industry.”