2020 Cotton Gin Safety Initiative Winner

AgriTrust of Georgia has announced Early Co. Gin, Inc. of Blakely, Georgia as the winner of the 2020 Cotton Gin Safety Initiative. 

No matter what industry you work in, safety should take a high priority in your daily operations. In most jobs, the hazards are limited to a few specific machines, areas, or tasks. In the cotton gin, it would be easier to list the things that are not hazardous. The ginning process takes the cotton from the farmers’ fields and removes the seed and debris from the lint by passing the cotton through a series of machines, many with hundreds of spinning saw blades. Add the presence of front-end loaders and forklifts darting around, vacuum fans roaring making it hard to hear, and the cold-wet conditions, it is easy to see how one mistake could be catastrophic. Because of these hazards, AgriTrust of Georgia created the Cotton Gin Safety Initiative. The Cotton Gin Safety Initiative is a program conducted by AgriTrust, a self-insured workers’ compensation fund that services agribusinesses in the state of Georgia, to encourage safety training by its cotton gin members.  Winners receive a $2,000 check if they had no lost-time claims during the ginning season. Early Co. Gin, Inc. received $2,000 as they had no lost-time claims.

Originally established in 1991 with fifteen stockholders, Early Co. Gin, Inc. has continued to grow to meet the needs of the farmers in the Early County area. Now with over sixty stockholders, Early Co. Gin, Inc. is one of the few locations in the country operating two complete gin plants in the same location. With so much happening in one location, safety has to be a focal point. They believe in a top-down safety mentality; if management cares and makes safety a priority, then employees will too. In fact, their General Manager, Jackson Hammock, models this philosophy by spending countless hours during the off-season helping other gins focus on safety by participating in Safety Roundtables and other conferences. This dedication to safety has helped Early Co. Gin, Inc. win the 2020 Cotton Gin Safety Initiative. Congratulations for your success and safety!