National Safety Council Names FirstGroup as Recipient of 2009 Green Cross for Safety Medal
Anaheim, Calif. – The National Safety Council (NSC) announced that FirstGroup will receive its 2009 Green Cross for Safety Medal, the NSC’s annual recognition of an organization that demonstrates a steadfast commitment to improving safety and health in the workplace, its community, and through safety leadership demonstrated by its CEO. The announcement was made at the Opening Session of the NSC’s 96th Annual Congress & Expo, in Anaheim, Calif.
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Group’s North American operations account for 100,000 of its 137,000 employees. FirstGroup America is the leading transportation company in North America and part of FirstGroup plc, a FTSE 100 company traded on the London Stock Exchange. With annualized revenues of more than $10 billion per year, FirstGroup America transports more than 2.5 billion passengers a year.
FirstGroup America provides busing and maintenance services to municipalities, school districts and the general public in both Canada and the United States. Its First Student is the largest provider of student transportation, safely carrying 4 million students a day. FirstGroup also operates Greyhound services in the U.S. and Canada and is one of North America’s largest private sector providers of transit management and contracting services, and maintains fleets for both public and private sector customers, including fire and police departments.
The decision to present FirstGroup with the Green Cross for Safety Medal reflects NSC’s recognition of the organization’s strong safety culture, led by its chief executive Sir Moir Lockhead.
“We believe that FirstGroup is both a trend setter and an industry leader in safety and health,” said Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO. “Never in the history of the Green Cross Medal has a potential recipient invited our team to spend two full days examining its records and witnessing its promotion of safety at every level. The company’s two core values, safety and customer service with safety, exemplify the priority with which safety is embraced.”
Other factors in the awarding of the Green Cross Medal include FirstGroup’s outstanding safety record and commitment to improving the quality of life in communities where its employees work and live.
Sir Moir Lockhead, FirstGroup Chief Executive, said, “This medal is a testament to the focus on safety of the entire organization. Our commitment to the safety of our employees and customers through our Injury Prevention Program means if you cannot do it safely, don’t do it. I am extremely pleased and proud to receive this medal on behalf of all staff at FirstGroup.”
The NSC will present FirstGroup with the Green Cross for Safety Medal at a special recognition dinner held in spring 2009. For more information go to development@nsc.org.
Past recipients of the Green Cross for Safety Medal include: Delta Air Lines, UPS, DuPont, Liberty Mutual Group, Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler, Kenny Construction Company, Ryder Systems Inc., Intel Corporation, and AK Steel Corporation.
The National Safety Council (www.nsc.org)
saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes, communities
and on the roads, through leadership, research, education and advocacy.
