2024 Theo Award Winner: SpartanNash

SpartanNash, a leading food distributor and grocery retailer based in Byron Center, Michigan, has made significant strides in workplace safety and employee care.

With 17,000 associates across its operations, SpartanNash recognized the critical importance of safety in fostering its “People First” culture. The company set out to not only protect associates from injury and illness but also to improve morale, reduce turnover, lower costs and boost productivity.

Tackling the Problem

In 2020, SpartanNash’s executive leadership team set an ambitious goal to “Be a Safety Leader” as part of its master action plan (MAP). The company made a public commitment to achieve upper quartile safety performance by 2025, later reinforcing this pledge in its 2022 ESG Report.

To spearhead this initiative, SpartanNash hired a vice president of environmental health and safety and deployed dedicated safety specialists at each distribution center. Assistant store directors were appointed as safety liaisons for their locations, while safety networks and project teams were established across the organization to develop and drive safety initiatives.

CEO Tony Sarsam signed the company’s first Environmental Health and Safety Policy and Letter of Commitment, signaling that safety would be foundational to SpartanNash’s culture moving forward. The company then focused on reinforcing and evaluating basic safety protocols, including personal protective equipment, ergonomics and OSHA compliance standards.

“This level of involvement and genuine concern from leadership has created a family-like atmosphere within our safety team. Our safety managers and VP take injuries personally and prioritize building strong workplace relationships across all levels of the organization,” said Andromeda Matz, claims manager for SpartanNash.

Andromeda Matz, claims manager, SpartanNash

SpartanNash implemented a comprehensive strategy that included introducing a Risk & Safety Manual to standardize safety systems, developing a permit-to-work process for high-hazard tasks and launching quarterly safety campaigns specifically for targeting primary incident causes. The strategy also included deploying athletic trainers to key distribution center to coach proper body mechanics and hosting weekly safety calls with the CEO and executive leadership team to discuss any lost time injuries.

Recognizing the diverse nature of its operations, SpartanNash invested in role-specific training programs to ensure all associates could identify and manage potential safety hazards. Behavior-based safety training, including peer-to-peer observations and feedback, helped cultivate a sense of shared responsibility for safety.

“We’ve used different terms like ‘friends helping friends.’ It’s about looking out for the person you work with,” said Matz. “If you see your coworker using the deli slicer without the correct PPE, you should feel empowered to intervene because you hope they would do the same for you.

“It’s not about scolding or telling someone they’re doing something wrong. It’s about wanting them to be safe and helping them get better. Peer-to-peer observations are not just about pointing out mistakes; they’re also about recognizing when someone does a fantastic job and asking them to teach you something.”

The company went beyond regulatory standards in implementing safety protocols, conducting regular inspections, machine hazard assessments, and high-hazard task management. Powered equipment operators underwent enhanced training, reinforced by campaigns and on-the-job coaching to reduce collision risk.

Mental health and wellness were also prioritized, with new programs supporting associates’ physical, social, emotional and financial wellbeing. A structured return-to-work program was implemented to help associates recover and return to work safely after temporary disabilities.

In 2023, SpartanNash further embedded safety into its culture by requiring all frontline operations leaders to include a safety improvement objective in their performance goals. Associates were asked to commit to “Be Injury Free in 2023,” shifting the safety culture from reactive to proactive.

Success to Build On

SpartanNash’s comprehensive approach to safety has yielded impressive results. From 2020 to 2023, the company achieved dramatic reductions in total recordable incident rate and lost-time incidents. These improvements not only enhanced associate safety but also resulted in substantial cost savings, with workers’ compensation costs decreasing in 2023.

The impact of these initiatives extends beyond numbers. “Do Your Part Be Safety Smart” has evolved from a slogan to a guiding principle for all associates, embedding a culture of safety throughout the organization. Associates now feel empowered to prioritize safety and speak up about concerns.

“If you have a collaborative environment and can bring in ideas from other people, it can lead to fantastic improvements,” said Matz. “Getting input from other people can help you bring your idea thousands of miles farther than you may have even thought possible.”

Having achieved its goal to “Be A Safety Leader” ahead of schedule, SpartanNash has set its sights on becoming the industry leader in safety. The company remains committed to continuous improvement, aiming for an injury-free workplace. As CEO Tony Sarsam emphasized, “We will not rest until our record is spotless – that’s how a people-first organization thinks when it comes to associate safety.”

Organization: SpartanNash * Location: Grand Rapids, WI * Category: Retail & Wholesale * Number 0f Employees: 17,000

Added Matz, “As a people-first company, we’ve focused on keeping our people safe physically, psychologically, and in all aspects of their work. This journey has led us to a place that we may not have anticipated, but it’s a journey that we’re happy to be on.”

SpartanNash’s journey demonstrates how a genuine commitment to employee wellbeing can drive significant improvements in safety performance, creating a workplace where associates feel valued, protected, and empowered to contribute to a culture of safety. &

The Theo Award celebrates its inaugural year, honoring 31 workers’ compensation programs for their excellence and service to workers across the nation. To learn more about the award and amazing qualities each winner possesses, visit here.