National Asphalt Pavement Association recognizes award winners and finalists

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), Lanham, Maryland, recognized several companies at a special ceremony July 9 during its Midyear Meeting in Boston.

The Asphalt Operations Safety Innovation Award recognizes the development and implementation of ideas that lead to improved worker safety in a roadway work zone, plant site or quarry environment, and company safety practices that go above and beyond, the association says.

Lane Construction Corp. in West Columbia, South Carolina, was honored as a winner of the 2017 award for its Cones for Life overhead hazard awareness program. The program includes a specialized training program to educate every crew in the Carolinas on overhead threats, procedures to follow to prevent injury and emergency response procedures in the event a crew member encounters high-voltage electricity. As part of the program, Lane deployed lime green construction cones to alert crews to overhead hazards.

Superior Paving Corp. of Gainesville, Virginia, was honored as a winner for its Entry Prevention Interactive Control (EPIC) Safety System, which is designed to prevent crew members from walking between the paver and a mix-transfer vehicle (MTV). Walking beneath the loading conveyor on an MTV is a safety hazard and can disrupt the infrared connection between the MTV and the paver. The EPIC Safety System is a retractable 65-foot-long, 4-inch-wide tape that mounts to the MTV. A magnet connects the extended tape to the paver, creating a physical barrier that limits entry to the space between the MTV and the paver.

NAPA also honored the winners and finalists of the 2017 Operational Excellence Awards at the ceremony. The Operational Excellence Awards honor leaders in the asphalt pavement industry for innovation and excellence in marketing, communications and community outreach with the Community Involvement, Outstanding Brochure and Outstanding Website Awards. Companies also are lauded for their responsible practices with the Ecological Awards.

The Operational Excellence Awards are a counterpart to NAPA’s annual Quality in Construction Awards, which recognize asphalt paving jobs completed in line with best practices and standards known to yield high quality asphalt pavements.

The 2017 winners and finalists honored during the ceremony include:

Community Involvement Award winners:

• Callan Industries Inc., Albany, New York, for Callanan in the Community
• Tilcon New York Inc., Parsippany, New Jersey, for the Community Relations Program

Community Involvement Award finalists:

• Rogers Group Inc., Gallatin, Tennessee, for its Northern Middle Tennessee Strategic Marketing Area
• Virginia Paving Co., Chantilly, Virginia, for its Paving the Way to Many Hearts program

Ecological Award winners:

• Pike Industries Inc., Belmont, New Hampshire, for HMA P721
• Superior Asphalt Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan, for Dutton Plant

Outstanding Brochure Award winner:

• New Jersey Asphalt Pavement Association, Ewing, New Jersey, for its “Pavement Preservation—Benefits of Thinlays” brochure.

Outstanding Website Award winner:

• Gerken Materials Inc., Napoleon, Ohio, for GerkenCompanies.com

Outstanding Website Award winners (state asphalt pavement associations):

• Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida, for FloridaRidesOnUs.org
• New Jersey Asphalt Pavement Association, Ewing, New Jersey, for njapa.com

The NAPA Awards Program recognizes and encourages continuous improvement in all aspects of paving and asphalt operations. The 2018 NAPA Awards program is accepting nominations. Quality in Construction Award nominations and Operational Excellence Award nominations are due by Oct. 4.

For more information about the NAPA Awards program, or to nominate a project or company for an award, visit www.AsphaltPavement.org/Awards.