By the Dozen: Colorbiotics Extends Safety Record

AMES, Iowa — Colorbiotics, a Sika Brand, has achieved a significant safety milestone at its headquarters in central Iowa: 12 years without a lost time accident.

The announcement in June underscores a top-to-bottom commitment to safety at the company, which has multiple facilities in Ames and employees who work across the United States.

“This is an outstanding record, and it’s a credit to every one of our employees,” said Kent Rotert, vice president of Colorbiotics. “We value our work, but nothing is more important than being able to return safely to our loved ones at night. I’m proud that we continue to do that.”

The safety record is especially notable given the daily activity around the facilities, including heavy-duty trucks, loaders, forklifts and colorizers. 

“Safety is our key to business. It’s our license to operate,” said Mike Sams, operations manager at Colorbiotics. “Our daily team meetings include a safety briefing, and that sets the expectation for how we’re going to operate.”

One motto at Colorbiotics is that “Cleaner is safer,” and visitors commonly remark about cleanliness after visiting the facilities. 

Colorbiotics also prioritizes annual Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) training and job-specific safety training for all employees. 

“If you don’t operate your site safely, that can have a detrimental effect on your ability to produce and ship product,” Sams said, noting a secondary benefit to the safety record. “Our customers knowing that we’re going to produce the same product every day in a safe manner should give them confidence that they’re going to receive their orders on time.”