Larry Martin and Sherri Hayashi, right, talk with Veasna Touch as they greet Martin Door Manufacturing supervisors during a recent awards ceremony held in-house.

"Your whole company resonates safety," Sherri Hayashi, state labor commissioner for Utah said of Martin Door. Hayashi and other key officials were at Martin Door on Aug. 10 to honor the company with a Work Place Safety Award.

Larry Martin, vice president of Martin Door, held the ceremony as a means of recognizing company supervisors for their role in winning the award, even though company officials received the award at a banquet of the Utah Manufacturers Association earlier this year.

Larry Martin said Martin Door has three priorities in building the world's finest and safest garage doors.

"The first thing is safety, the second is quality and the third is productivity," Larry said of Martin Door's manufacturing approach. He said many companies flip those priorities and don't emphasize safety as a result.

Company supervisors and employees pose with state and local officials who were part of a ceremony to honor Martin Door's recent safety award.

Larry said Martin Door is about continuous improvement and he noted that one key aspect of the company's approach is that it partners with people many would consider their enemies----i.e. OSHA, or other regulatory inspectors.

Hayashi said Martin Door's success with implementing a culture of safety comes from a "top-down approach" from management. "I'm so impressed. Every aspect of your company resonates safety," the labor official said.