Five General Motors plants have been recognized by Combustion Safety Inc. for continuously performing with the highest level of combustion equipment and personnel safety.

Five General Motors plants have been recognized by Combustion Safety Inc., Cleveland, for continuously performing with the highest level of combustion equipment and personnel safety. The awards are given by the combustion systems training and consulting company for the implementation of techniques and practices that will save lives and help prevent tragedies within each General Motor's facility.

This year's winners were Parma Manufacturing, Bay City Powertrain, Flint Assembly Center and Pontiac Assembly Center, with the “Best of the Best” award going to Pittsburgh Manufacturing. According to Combustion Safety, these five plants have gone above and beyond by upholding their corporate combustion safety program and improving on tasks from previous years. The winners are chosen based on predetermined criteria such as quantity of non-compliant items, timeliness of inspections, completion of previous year's action items, and the placement of an independent combustion safety testing and calibration program.

“The safety culture within these facilities is one of the highest we have seen throughout the world,” said Combustion Safety Inc. president Dale P. Smith. “Many of GM's facilities actually look forward to our visits and challenge us to find an issue.” According to Combustion Safety, this plant commitment has cut the number of annual findings by about 32 percent. “We are able to provide more value by focusing on the testing of critical safety devices while implementing newer program initiatives like personnel training and operating procedure standardization.”

The winners were announced at the Energy and Utility Services Group meeting in Pontiac, Mich., in May.