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Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Warren County Plant Receives TOSHA’s Highest Honor Fourth Consecutive Time

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 27, 2011) - The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development and Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) today recognized the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) Warren County, Tenn., plant with its highest safety and health honor: the Volunteer STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) award. 

Warren CountyThe Volunteer STAR is patterned after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and recognizes the best of the best in the area of safety and health programming and performance.

This is the fourth consecutive time the Warren County plant has received the award, the first time being in 1997. Facilities must be recertified every three to four years.

“Bridgestone Americas is committed to being a premier place to work, and a critical part of achieving that is adhering to the highest levels of safety and health in our plants,” said Barry Owens, Vice President, Manufacturing for Bridgestone Americas Manufacturing Group. “The receipt of this award represents a continued total team effort on the part of our teammates here in Warren County, and it gives us great pride to help celebrate their accomplishments here today.”

The Warren County plant is one of only three tire manufacturing facilities in the U.S. that is certified as an OSHA VPP Star site. The other two plants – in Aiken County, S.C., and Bloomington, Ill. – are also BATO facilities. No other tire plant in the U.S. has earned this distinction.

“Bridgestone Americas was one of the first companies in Tennessee to be awarded the Volunteer STAR, and has continued to be exemplary in its safety and health programs throughout the years,” said Deputy Commissioner Alisa Malone of the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development. “It’s an honor to be here today to present this award and celebrate a legacy of health and safety excellence here in Warren County.”

About Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is a business unit of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. Reporting into the BATO business unit are the company's Latin American tire operations; the U.S. and Canadian consumer tire businesses; the U.S. and Canadian commercial tire businesses; and Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, which operates the largest network of company-owned automotive service providers in the world. BATO develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The business unit is focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in the Americas. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.