Safety has always been a priority within Keller Logistics Group and affiliates. Years ago, one of our drivers summed up our safety culture best when he said, “Time is money, but life is priceless.” That has been our safety mindset from the start.
Illustrating our safety-first culture, CEO Bryan Keller has often been quoted as saying to employees, “It’s your job to get home to your family.”
Our safety team takes their jobs very seriously and go well above and beyond expectations.
Sarah Cates, Keller Trucking Director of Safety, was named the 2022 Safety Professional of the Year by the Ohio Trucking Association. Sarah is also a NATMI (North American Transportation Management Institute) certified Safety Director.
Rebecca Berger, Keller Warehousing & Co-Packing Director of Safety, is a Certified Safety Professional, providing her with the gold standard of safety, health, and environmental credentials. This certification requires a bachelor’s degree, at least four years of professional safety experience, and an Associate Safety Professional Certification. The all-encompassing test to receive the certification includes topics such as management systems, laws and ethics, advanced science and mathematics, risk management, advanced application of key safety concepts, emergency preparedness, fire prevention and safety, occupational health and ergonomics, environmental management systems, and training and education. Rebecca has also received extensive training as the following: OSHA 10 and 30 Instructor, First Aid, CPR, and AED Instructor, Behavior Based Ergonomic Specialist, SQF Practitioner, SQF Internal Auditor, PCQI – Preventive Controls Qualified Individual, and HACCP Plan Development Trainee.
Carrie Kent, Keller Trucking Safety and Claims Administrator and local EMT, holds an advanced license for successfully completing the National Registry EMT basic class and National Registry test. The process to achieve this license required five months’ worth of class covering 41 chapters and 150 hours of training, time in two ERs, fire department ride time providing medical treatment when responding to calls, in addition to completing the eight stations of the Ohio Psychomotor Examination in which she had to perform a variety of assessments in the areas of patient assessment/management both trauma and medical, ventilation of an apneic adult and pediatric patient, cardiac arrest management, bleeding control/shock management, oxygen administration via non-rebreather mask, and medication administration via intranasal route.
To say we are proud of the credentials held by our Safety team is an understatement. On top of their expansive certifications and training, each of these ladies also balance working full time, care for their families, and volunteer within their home communities.
The Top Five Reasons to Do Business with a Company with a Strong Safety Culture
One of the ways we deliver for our customers is by ensuring their products are safely transported and stored by upholding the highest industry standards.
The Ohio Trucking Association named us the winner of the Large Division (5-10 million miles class) 2022 Fleet Safety Award. (link to press release). We comply with all CSA, FMCSA, and DOT rules, regulations, and requirements, and hold PIP, C-TPAT, FAST and CSA certifications.
Our warehouses are FDA, USDA, SQF, GMP and Department of Ag (where applicable) certified. Each facility’s team actively uses leading metrics such as 5S, auditing, reports near misses and conducts weekly safety huddles to strengthen our safety culture. Our warehouse managers are certified in OSHA 10- Food Defense and Food Protection for Warehouse and Distribution Centers, and we have First Aid, CPR and AED trained employees in every facility. We average a score of 96.6% on third party GMP and SQF grade audits at our sites, and year over year, we out-perform the industry average OSHA Recordable Incident Rate (ORIR) by over 50% in both Warehousing and Co-Packing.
Ensuring Safety in Logistics: Why Certifications Matter for Third-Party Providers
One of the ways we deliver for our community is by providing safety precautions when and wherever we can.
Funds raised by our Autism Acceptance & Understanding wrapped truck funded the construction of a fence separating the local splash park from a busy street in Defiance, Ohio to help separate children from the traffic. Our Mental Health & Suicide Awareness wrapped truck raised funds to help bring speaker Kevin Briggs, “Guardian of the Golden Gate,” to Defiance, Ohio to speak to the community about suicide prevention.
We have volunteered our trailers for various community events to serve as perimeter blockers to ensure safety at large events. Our warehouse parking lots have also served as a safe place to hold community events. And, as of 2023, as a sponsor of Truckers Against Trafficking, we require 100% of our fleet of drivers to complete annual training on noticing the signs of human trafficking and how to address the situation.
Learn more about what makes Keller Logistics Group and affiliates the best choice for your company’s logistics needs. Contact us to learn more about our services and request a no-obligation quote. Call 419-784-4805 or return our online contact form today.
