Liberty Paper Inc., a Liberty Diversified Industries company, recently received two awards for excellence in workplace safety and health.

The first award was the MNSTAR Award from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry for work-based occupational safety and health. The award is based on federal OSHA Voluntary Protection Program standards. The report from the MNSTAR evaluation states, "Safety is truly a core value at Liberty Paper. Safety is part and parcel of everything they do and is reflected in the employee and manager attitudes, their expectations, and their interactions." Liberty Paper is one of only 26 companies in the state to be recognized since the MNSTAR Award was established in 1999.

The second award was the Governor's Safety Award of Honor from the Minnesota Safety Council. Liberty Paper has been recognized with a number of other state awards for various reasons, but this is the highest safety award received to date.

The Liberty Paper mill in Becker, MN, manufactures paper products primarily for the corrugated container industry using 100% recycled material and keeping 250,000 tons of waste paper out of landfills annually.

Mike Fiterman, president and CEO of Liberty Diversified Industries, a $450-million family-owned business headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, said, "All of our manufacturing plants work diligently to provide a safe working environment for all of our employees, but Liberty Paper and its exemplary safety culture is an example for all of us to learn from and share with companies outside of our organization as well."

Larry Newell, general manager of Liberty Paper, said, "Our people have created an awe inspiring culture of safety in this mill. From CPR training to daily safety meetings, safety and health are top of mind for every one of our team members."