Jul 09, 2008. /Lesprom.com/. Five Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation facilities received top honors and a total of 30 were recognized for their outstanding safety achievements at the Pulp & Paper Safety Association's (PPSA) 65th annual Safety and Health Conference. "Smurfit-Stone is extremely proud of its safety record and of the employees at these facilities," President and COO Steven J. Klinger said. "We take great pride in our safety processes and continue to work toward our ultimate goal of achieving an accident-free workplace." Smurfit-Stone's Hodge, Louisiana, mill and Williamsport, Pennsylvania, container plant earned the PPSA's 2007 Award of Safety Excellence by achieving the best safety records in their categories for three consecutive years. The industry safety association presents only three awards in this category each year. The Hodge mill recently achieved a major safety milestone by becoming the first mill in Smurfit-Stone's history to work more than three million hours without a recordable injury. Smurfit-Stone's Oakland, California, recycling plant and Homerville, Georgia, sawmill were recognized with Best One-Year Safety Record awards for having the lowest incident rate in their categories in 2007 as defined by the standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Both facilities completed the work year without a single OSHA recordable incident. Smurfit-Stone's St. Louis recycling plant received the Most Improved Award for showing the greatest improvement in its category over the previous three years. The plant had no reportable incidents or injuries in 2007. The PPSA is a not-for-profit organization that has served as a resource to the pulp, paper, converting, recycling and forest products industry for more than six decades. It is the only industry association dedicated solely to safety and the improvement of safety performance. Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation is an integrated containerboard and corrugated packaging producer and is one of the world's largest paper recyclers.