When the recession hit, The Horsley Co. did not cut corners on safety at the Salt Lake City plant where it makes intricate baggage-handling systems for airports, including the Delta Airlines' and international terminals at Salt Lake City International Airport.

Instead, the company increased its safety budget and set its sights on receiving SHARP (Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program) certification from the Utah Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Utah OSHA), a status earned by only four other Utah firms. It is only one of 2,000 U.S. firms, out of almost 7 million nationwide, to achieve SHARP status.

Formal recognition of that achievement was marked Tuesday in a ceremony at the company's plant, 1630 S. 4800 West. Employees and invited government dignitaries celebrated the award presentation with a luncheon in a spanking-clean warehouse studded with multilevel storage shelves holding heavy-duty conveyor belt sections or all the parts that go into them.

One broad aisle between two parallel shelves contained, neatly stacked on pallets, an array of electrical panels that can be programmed to operate a fully assembled baggage-handling system to fit an airport's specific needs. Another aisle was packed with sections of conveyor belt waiting to be shipped to Jackson Hole airport, individual sections marked with letter codes showing whether they were to be installed near the ticket counter, the baggage carousel or hidden from public view in the expansive area between check in and take off.

"Many companies made huge cuts to maintain market share and continue in business. For some, safety was an easy place to make short-term cuts," said Michael O'Connor, The Horsley Co.'s vice president. But perceiving that approach as "short-sighted," his company contacted Utah's OSHA division for assistance and in just six months, developed policies and implemented practices that met seven standards set up by the Utah Labor Commission agency.

"You made our job very easy," said safety and health consultant James Johnston, noting the agency rarely is invited in at the ground level to help build a safe workplace.

Johnston and colleague Kirk March oversaw the certification effort organized by The Horsley Co.'s Tenille Whitten and Jannette Rodriguez, safety manager of Five Star Airport Alliance. The alliance is a five-company coalition, including The Horsley Co., that is the only American group that can provide all of the services and equipment needed to move baggage at airports and cruise ship ports.

"The safety culture was always here," Johnston added, applauding the company's 60 employees for embracing the safety measures. "You spend a lot of time here. You look after each other."

Companies where co-workers care for one another invariably are successful, Utah Labor Commissioner Sherrie Hayashi said. "The best benefit is you know you have a company that stands behind you... wants you to go home safely each and every night."

Paul Shaffer, The Horsley Co.'s chief financial officer, said policies governing fork lift operation and the proper storage of equipment on shelving, and others recognizing the inherent dangers of using welding equipment and power tools, enabled his company to achieve the designation.