Randall J ‘Randy’ Mucha, director of health and safety for Lehigh Hanson, will receive the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s James M Christie Safety & Health Professional of the Year Award.
The award recognizes an individual for substantial contributions and commitment to safe and healthy practices within his or her company and the industry.
“Randy has made a substantial impact on safety and health throughout the entire United States,” said Michael W Johnson, president, National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.
“His leadership in safety matters illustrates our entire industry’s commitment to working safely.”
Mucha’s creative and diligent approach to implementing health and safety initiatives resulted in a 20% improvement of the injury rate over four years across Lehigh Hanson’s 550 sites and 9,000 employees. The company also saw a 32% reduction in workers’ compensation claims during this time.
Mucha’s dedication to safety has also had effects outside the company itself. A Lehigh Hanson employee recently saved the life of a heart attack victim by relying on his automated external defibrillators training that he received at work.
A dedicated volunteer, Mucha is a past chairman of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s Safety and Health Subcommittee and served on the MSHA-NSSGA Alliance, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Illinois Association of Aggregates Producers.
The James M Christie Safety and Health Professional of the Year award was created in 1987 by the National Stone Association (NSA) in recognition of the then-corporate safety director for Vulcan Materials Company. In the early 1980s, Christie challenged a young MSHA agency to focus regulations on the safety practices of manager and worker behavior and not strictly on a facility’s conditions. NSSGA continued this tradition when NSA later merged with the National Aggregates Association.
The award will be presented as part of association’s 2017 Annual Convention Opening General Session on March 4.
