The Wawa on University Place can now boast of more than its 24-hour production of killer sandwiches.
Last week, the 'Wa achieved its thousandth consecutive accident-free day. To recognize this accomplishment, Wawa, Inc. will treat the store's entire staff to dinner at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst later this month.
The 'Wa's accident-free streak reflects a renewed commitment to safety that Wawa Inc. has made over the last few years, explained Laurie Bruce, the public relations manager of Wawa. Under its "Safe Days" program, the corporation recognizes stores that have achieved various stretches of incident-free workdays. Accident-free days are defined as days in which no accidents requiring medical attention occur among employees inside of the establishment.
Prizes range from group pizza parties for employees to full-scale dinner outings such as the one the Princeton 'Wa's 1,000 days earned, Bruce said. "Safety is just very, very important to us. This is one of the ways we recognize it."
Bruce said the company believes that acknowledging and awarding prizes to stores for their safe working environments will encourage other stores to follow suit. The desire to keep up with other stores' improving safety records motivated the Princeton 'Wa to step up its own level of caution, said Tyrone Butler, the assistant store manager of the 'Wa.
"There's stores that have 1,300 days and stuff like that. We're finally catching up now," Butler said.
The 'Wa staff made many changes in its daily routine to decrease the chance of employees hurting themselves on the job, he added. Workers are now carefully instructed in the safest methods of slicing meat and preparing sandwiches.
Also, he said, instead of cutting rolls as sandwiches are ordered, which used to be a source of potential injury for rushed employees, employees wearing safety gloves now cut the rolls in the middle of the night. This has improved both safety and efficiency.
Butler said that Wawa's new emphasis on safety has affected all Wawa stores.
"The company has taken a whole turnaround — and the difference is safety first," he said.
However, Bruce points out that the corporation does not deserve all the recognition for its Safe Day policy. It is up to the employees of each store to carry it out as the 'Wa's workers have done.
"I think it's a team effort," she said.
Many students say they are impressed by the 'Wa's accident-free record. Walking from the store with a bottle of soda in hand, Daniel Choe '05 reflected on the achievement.
"One thousand ninety-nine, that's a lot. I've never heard of that before," he said. "Good job for them."
Bruce concurred. Pointing out that it is not easy to run a 24-hour store for three years without injury, she praised the 'Wa's commitment to safety.
"It's a wonderful achievement, and they should be very proud."
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