Published on:
20
April 2012
An Alva Primary School pupil has come top of the class in a calendar competition, organised as part of a safety campaign to prevent accidents happening in the workplace.
The competition, organised by O-I's glass plant in Alloa, was part of their launch of a new safety campaign, which they hope will be beneficial to their workers in the long term, making them more aware of the dangers and accidents that can occur at work.
The campaign takes the form of posters and a calendar based on entries to a competition held amongst school children in Clackmannanshire and Stirling related to O-I employees.
The winning entry was drawn by the management team in Alloa, Erin Gardiner a pupil at Alva Primary School in Clackmannanshire.
Erin received her own copy of the calendar and a gift voucher at a presentation at the school on Friday, 20th April. The school also received a donation of £1,000 from O-I.
Brian Cairns, plant manager at O-I Alloa said: "Children can be very powerful and very direct, in the way they draw things. We felt that asking their own young relatives to illustrate the calendar would provide all our employees with a daily reminder to improve their safe working practices.
Craig Rennie, head teacher of Alva Primary School said: "We value the work we do with industry, particularly when that industry is located nearby and impacts on our pupils.
"Erin has always shown great artistic skill and I am delighted that her talents have been recognised in this way. It makes everyone at school proud to think that the work of one of our pupils will play such a direct role in keeping safety top of mind throughout O-I's operation at Alloa."
Second prize went to Emma McAlpine, a pupil at Fallin Primary School, Stirling, the school receiving £500 from the company. Third prize, of £250, was awarded to Sunnyside School in Alloa, for a drawing by pupil Cameron Dickson.
The topics chosen for the pictures in the calendar represented the three most common causes of workplace injuries - lifting and carrying; slips, trips and falls and cuts.
All 12 young artists whose posters were selected for the calendar received a personal gift voucher.
Andrew Sharman, Vice-President Health and Safety for O-I Europe, said: " We encourage each of our plants across Europe to devise its own safety initiatives and I can see that this one at Alloa is well on the way to becoming a best practice example We are determined to keep it that way for the benefit of the employees and their children."