V&M Star workers, families learn important lessons at Safety Day

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Most days at V&M Star, you won’t find workers taking time off to enjoy a mid-afternoon picnic.

But for the second year in a row, Vallourec — V&M’s parent company — shut down all 51 production sites across 20 countries to observe the company’s Safety Day on Thursday.

“At Vallourec, safety is their No. 1 priority,” said Eric Shuster, general manager for Youngstown operations. “They want to be sure all of their employees around the world are understanding of how important it is.”

Workers and their families experienced Stat MedEvac helicopter and SWAT and bomb-squad demonstrations and also discussed home safety.

“We want our workers to be safe, both here and at home,” safety director Kristin Malosh said.

Shuster said the company regularly stresses on-the-job safety and that Thursday’s event reinforced those practices.

“When we talk about safety, we’re talking about fall-protection systems, lock-out, tag-out processes for the equipment and personal protective equipment,” he said.

“At the end of it, in this business, safety is a way of life.”