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News@WSLH
Your Source For News & Events From Wisconsin's Public Health and Environmental Laboratory
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UEI Safety Committee members are presented with
the SHARP award plaque and flag. Pictured from left:
UEI Vice President of Human Resources Art Graham,
Debbie Weisbrod, Dennis Gust, Plant Manager Linda
Powell, WisCon Health Consultant Kim Dietz, WisCon
Safety Consultant Supervisor Dick Lentz, Angelo Reed
and Jerry Suchanek. UEI Safety Committee Team members
not pictured include: Gina Congdon, Terry Springsteen
and Dorothy Grossman.
Universal Electronics, Inc. Earns SHARP Award From OSHA and WSLH
WHITEWATER, Wis. -- When staff at Universal Electronics, Inc. (UEI) in Whitewater, WI, gathered in the company lunchroom on July 6, 2011, it was to celebrate two important events - the awarding of the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) honor and the 78th birthday of UEI Founder and President Dick Jensen.
It's that combination of business and family that underlies UEI's success.
"The company is very personable. You're not a number like in a big company," explains UEI's Whitewater Plant Manager Linda Powell. "The Jensen's are great people to work for. It's really the personal touch of a family-owned business."
Founded in 1980, UEI's 220 employees provide contract electronics manufacturing services to medical, industrial-commercial, communication, and security original equipment manufacturers worldwide.
Five years ago UEI Vice President of Human Resources Art Graham and the UEI Safety Committee approached UEI Executive Vice President Rick Jensen and asked his opinion on pursuing SHARP certification from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Jensen enthusiastically approved.
The July 6th SHARP ceremony was the culmination of years of effort by UEI staff and Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) WisCon Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program consultants.
UEI's SHARP honor is one of only 12 in Wisconsin and about 1,500 nationwide. To achieve it, UEI demonstrated a commitment to the health and safety of its employees and met or exceeded all of the requirements for participation in this voluntary program. The company had comprehensive safety and health evaluations from WisCon and corrected all hazards identified.
The voluntary WisCon Program provides free assistance to employers to establish and maintain a safe and healthy workplace. WisCon consultants conduct on-site facility visits to identify safety and health hazards and recommend control measures; conduct industrial hygiene monitoring for chemical, biological, radiological, and physical hazards; perform ergonomic evaluations; assess the employer's safety and health programs; present occupational health and safety-related training; and evaluate the employer's comprehensive safety and health management system.
Part of WisCon, SHARP honors small and medium employers that operate exemplary safety and health management systems, while also maintaining an injury and illness rate below the national average for their industry.
Attached to the University of Wisconsin-Madison since its founding in 1903, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene provides public, environmental and occupational health laboratory and consultation expertise to a wide variety of national, state and local partners. As the state's public, environmental and occupational health laboratory, the WSLH plays a vital role in maintaining the health and safety of Wisconsin's citizens, protecting the environment and providing training to other professionals. Staff also serve as members of the UW-Madison faculty.
UEI provides contract electronics manufacturing services
to medical, industrial-commercial, communication, and
security original equipment manufacturers worldwide.
The Whitewater, WI, plant has multiple manufacturing lines
running 24 hours a day. This line is dedicated to
producing circuit boards for LED streetlights, while others
produce boards for everything from dairy barns to
medical devices to electronic assemblies.
Circuit boards produced by UEI go through a two-step
Quality Assurance/Quality Control process. The first step
involves specific testing requested by the customer.
Pictured above is "Big Blue", which tests elevator circuit
boards. The second step is the final QA/QC check by
UEI staff before shipment.
Story and Photos By: Jan Klawitter, WSLH Public Affairs and Training Manager
Date: July 6, 2011
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