BOSTON – The Northeast Lumber Manufacturers Association has given its highest safety award to Hammond Lumber Co.

Hammond received first place, high honors for combined operations (sawmill and planer mill) for 2002 at a special ceremony in Boston on March 28. The award recognizes outstanding safety achievement in the 0-to-40,000-man-hour category for mills operating in the New England states, plus New York and Pennsylvania.

Hammond Lumber Co., one of Maine’s largest independent retail building suppliers, has been running the mills in Belgrade since 1953. In their 50-year history of continuous milling operation, the company has seldom had a lost-time accident and has won numerous safety awards. In 1994, founder Clifton “Skip” Hammond was named the Outstanding Sawmill Operator in 21 states by another industry organization, the Northeastern Loggers’ Association, Inc.

Hammond Lumber supports a corporate culture that embraces workplace safety and responsibility, a spokesman said. In a historically hazardous industry, the company has consistently been recognized for its safety record.

Further information about Hammond Lumber is available by phone at 1-800-439-2354 or online at www.hammondlumber.com.