FARMINGTON — The employees at Hammond Lumber Company's store in Farmington completed their third straight year without a recordable injury earlier this month. The achievement enhances an overall company record that includes a long list of industry and national awards for safety, nine of them since 2005.

"Our Band-Aid box is covered with cobwebs," jokes Farmington manager Al Feather, who credits teamwork as one of the primary reasons for the unusually long record. "We come in as a team, we work all day as a team, we go home as a team, and everyone looks out for each other."

Hammond safety manager Bruce Pelletier points out that Feather's crew of 19 has not only gone three years without losing work time to an accident, but they have not had an injury of any kind during that time. They have not had a "lost-time accident" since 2001.

"Safety is an everyday job," says Pelletier, who visits all eight Hammond stores regularly. "In Farmington, they take it very literally. Al and yard foreman Scott Cook do a wonderful job."

Feather says his store's accomplishment of more than 1,000 consecutive injury-free days is very important to employees.

"They take great pride in our number," he says, "which is posted in the customer service area of our warehouse here and updated daily. Customers are always commenting on it, which adds to the pride and the desire to keep it going."

In addition to Farmington, Hammond operates stores in Auburn, Bangor, Belgrade, Fairfield, Greenville, Portland and Skowhegan. Within the past year, all have had streaks of 100 days or more without injuries. The company's sawmill and planer mill, located in Belgrade, have also won multiple safety awards.