Parker Home employees accepting the SHARP plaque from Department of Labor officials
From Left to Right are Mark Wadiak, assistant director; Carlos Pinto, OSHA consultant; Roberto Muñiz, Parker Home president/CEO; Matilde Garcia, Jennifer Mata, Lutgardo Reyes, Parker Home employees; Howard Black, Director and Lenny Katz, assistant commissioner
Staff and residents gathered in front of Parker Home in a ceremony where Lenny Katz, assistant commissioner, NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and Mike Yarnell, compliance assistance specialist, US Department of Labor, presented a plaque, a proclamation and a SHARP flag that was raised on Parker Home’s flagpole alongside the American flag.
Parker Home employees raising the SHARP flag
The Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) recognizes small employers who operate an exemplary safety and health management system. Acceptance into SHARP by OSHA is an achievement of status that singles out businesses as models for worksite safety and health.
Roberto Muñiz, CEO and President of Francis E. Parker Memorial Home, said, “The Parker at Landing Lane staff had fewer days away from work or modified duty due to an on-the-job accident than the average for the entire nursing home industry in the country. Parker at Landing Lane is one of very few companies in NJ, of any kind, that have been accepted into SHARP, and we are all proud of our staff’s achievement and this recognition.”
Mr. Muñiz went on to tell the staff, “The point of safe work habits is not to get a flag and have a ceremony. The point is to protect you – our employees. You are charged not only with the well-being of our residents, but also with your own well-being by practicing safe work habits and encouraging each other to be safe.”