Team members at our concrete pipe manufacturing facility recently received recognition in the American Concrete Pipe Association’s (ACPA) annual Chairman’s Safety Award Program for a simple innovation that reduces the risk of injury associated with a particular task.
Team members identified a task with a high potential for muscle strain: lifting the 80-pound bar on the back of our wire roller machine to load a new spool and picking the bar up off the ground afterward. They implemented a simple, but highly-effective solution by welding a rolling support stand to the bar so they could easily swing it out of the way each time to replace a new spool, instead of manually lifting and placing the heavy bar on the floor.
Watch our video to see the new Wire Roller Bar in action.
The Wire Roller Bar innovation was chosen as a finalist in the Operation Equipment category of the ACPA’s award program. At the organization’s 2025 Pipe School event held in February, a panel of judges evaluated all of the finalists for their originality, applicability to other plants across the country, impact, ease of implementation, and level of quality improvement achieved. The Wire Roller Bar won Third Place.
At County Materials, safety is our top priority. We constantly invest in safety upgrades to our facilities and equipment and we empower our team members to identify potential hazards and develop practical solutions.
Simple safety innovations like this wire roller bar can improve efficiency and reduce wear and tear on our bodies. We applaud the creativity of our team members and support their continued efforts to maintain a safe and healthy working environment.
