McWane, Inc. and its subsidiaries manufacture iron pipe, valves, hydrants, fittings, fire safety equipment, and other products for the plumbing and water works industries, operating 25 manufacturing plants, including 13 foundries, as well as 27 additional sales/distributions locations across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and China.   We are committed to achieving the highest standards for health and safety in each of these facilities through the use of innovative programs that meet or exceed federal and state regulations.  At the cornerstone of McWane’s Environmental, Health and Safety program is a comprehensive Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Management System based on ISO 14001 (a environmental management standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization), the proposed ISO 18000 standard, and OSHA’s Safety Management Guidelines.  This management system, coupled with the McWane Way philosophy of “Do It Safely, or Not At All” provides the directional emphasis for a culture of safety excellence at each of our facilities.

Although the demanding environment of a foundry presents unique safety and environmental challenges, McWane is determined to provide its employees a safe, environmentally compliant workplace through qualified, professional safety and health personnel; internal and external third party safety audits; incentive programs that focus not on trailing injury rates, but on proactive leading indicators; and through cooperative partnerships and meetings with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies.  Additionally, McWane routinely makes capital improvements in safety and environmental projects, spending significantly more than industry averages. 

Our commitment is further evidenced by the fact that as of 2008 five McWane facilities have earned OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) status.  In an industry where you can never take safety for granted, only 1 percent of U.S. workplaces earn OSHA’s highest award – a VPP Star.  We are very proud that two of our facilities, Manchester Tank & Equipment Company in Petersburg, Virginia, and Manchester Tank & Equipment Company in Elkhart, Indiana, have both been certified as VVP Star Sites.  Three other facilities, Clow Valve Company, Tyler Coupling, and Pacific States Cast Iron Pipe have been certified as VPP Merit Sites.  VPP  promotes a culture of safety and health excellence through management commitment, team member involvement, worksite analysis and evaluation, and safety and health training.  McWane aims to have all of our sites achieve OSHA’s VPP status.

To demonstrate the quality of our programs outside the U.S. where OSHA’s VPP program is not applicable, our facilities work toward certification under an internationally recognized health and safety standard, OHSAS 18001.   One of our facilities located in Canada, Bibby Ste-Croix, has been certified as conforming to the requirements of OHSAS 18001:2007.

McWane’s role as one of the world’s most important suppliers of pipe, valves, and hydrants is based on the fulfillment of our responsibilities to our employees, our communities, and our customers. We have continued to improve employee worker safety, to keep clean the communities we work in, and to produce first-rate products for the cities and towns that use them, and will do so in the future.

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