The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation received its fifth consecutive Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) certification on Thursday. The Noble Foundation is one of only 35 organizations in Oklahoma to have garnered the SHARP certification.

Michael A. Cawley, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Noble Foundation, accepted the award from Lloyd Fields, Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Labor, during a brief presentation at the Noble Foundation.

"We strive for excellence in every facet of our organization," Cawley said. "Our status as a five-time SHARP recipient reflects our commitment to providing the safest possible working environment for our employees, as well as assisting them in achieving their health and fitness goals."

SHARP was designed by the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to encourage and recognize excellence in occupational safety and health. To receive SHARP recognition, the Noble Foundation was audited by a team of health and safety professionals.

The OSHA audit team reviewed the Noble Foundation's written programs, interviewed employees and conducted a thorough review of the Noble Foundation facilities. Robert Williams, Safety Manager at the Noble Foundation, said the audit team scores each organization on overall safety culture and philosophy, employee interaction in the safety and health programs, and actual injury and illness rates.

"Only a small group of organizations achieve SHARP status and even fewer maintained it," Williams said. "This recognition is certainly appreciated. It is the culmination of a tremendous amount of work by our safety team. Most importantly, receiving the SHARP award shows that we are providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees."

The Noble Foundation first obtained SHARP status in 2003.

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News Release Issued: May 31, 2007

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.