Manistee team reaches 1,000 days and 1 million hours of safe work

In February, Martin Marietta's Magnesia Chemicals facility in Manistee, Michigan, reached an impressive milestone: 1,000 days and 1 million hours of safe work.

In February, Martin Marietta's Magnesia Chemicals facility in Manistee, Michigan, reached an impressive milestone: 1,000 days and 1 million hours of safe work.

Part of the company’s Specialties Division, the site employs more than 170 people and is a leading manufacturer in the global magnesia chemicals industry.

Safety Specialist Rob LaFleur said the safety accomplishment is the result of a collective and true dedication to Martin Marietta’s world-class safety standards.

“Reaching 1,000 days and 1 million hours of working safely is significant for our Manistee team,” he said. “It shows the effectiveness of the safety protocols and culture we have in place. This milestone not only showcases the team’s dedication to each other, but it also boosts morale and reinforces a culture of safety throughout the workplace.”

Specialties Division Director of Safety and Health Shane Surd agreed and added that a strong safety mentality continues to push the team forward.

“Reaching this milestone proves that ZERO is possible,” Surd said. “And it’s not just ‘ZERO’ from an individual worker perspective, it’s ‘ZERO’ for a workforce of more than 170 team members.”

Surd credited the achievement to the hundreds of proactive safety activities completed every day in Manistee, including SLAMs (Stop, Look, Analyze and Manage), workplace exams, mobile equipment pre-operational checks, tailgate talks and ongoing safety conversations.

The Guardian Angel safety culture serves as the connective tissue at Manistee, Surd continued, describing it further as “a shared commitment” each team member shares to look out for one another, in part, by addressing hazards before they become incidents.

For General Manager Chris Doremus, the milestone is the result of sustained improvement and an increasingly mature safety ecosystem.

“We are all quite proud to deliver these results,” Doremus said. “It’s taken a lot of work and focus from everyone in Manistee to drive continuous improvement and sustain this incredibly high level of safety performance.”

With safety deeply embedded into daily operations, the team also launched two new programs in 2025: Hazard Hunts and Wingman Walks. Both programs directly address safety concerns and strengthen engagement across the site.

Hazard Hunts aim to identify, isolate and eliminate potentially unsafe conditions. From leakage points and general housekeeping to stairway safety and tool and hose storage, the hunts have helped the team address several possible issues before they became certain problems.

The Wingman Walks program pairs team members to discuss hazards and observe work in real time. The conversations help surface issues quickly and drive meaningful improvements across the facility.

Still, even with their recent accomplishment secured, the Manistee team knows that the biggest threat to safety is complacency.

“You can never let your guard down when it comes to safety,” Surd said. “You must always maintain situational awareness. You must always view each day’s goal as sending your co-workers home just as safe and healthy as they were when they arrived.”

Praising every member of the Manistee team for their hard work and commitment to safety, Specialties Division Vice President-General Manager Brad Vernier said the team members are eager to build on their success with the same consistency and dedication that brought them to the 1-million-hour mark.

“This milestone is important because of all that it represents,” Vernier said. “It tells us that more of our people are going home safely. It also tells us the culture is working at Manistee. It’s strong. It’s sustainable. It involves every member of the team and is driving the site’s overall success.”