CINCINNATI – FirstGroup has received the National Safety Council's 2009 Green Cross for Safety Medal. The Council's highest annual honor for safety in the workplace was presented to FirstGroup Chief Executive, Sir Moir Lockhead, in recognition of the organization's strong safety culture, commitment to its core values of safety and customer service, and its outstanding safety record. 

FirstGroup joins a distinguished list of past Green Cross Medal recipients including Delta Airlines (2008 recipient), UPS, Intel, Liberty Mutual Group, and other safety leaders in their respective industries. 

"I am pleased to accept this celebrated award on behalf of the 137,000 FirstGroup employees who have embraced our safety culture and whose commitment to safety makes First a remarkable company," said Lockhead. "We put safety first in everything we do and in every decision we make. 'If you cannot do it safely, don't do it,' is more than a company motto; it represents our relentless pursuit of injury prevention."

"We believe that FirstGroup is both a trendsetter and an industry leader in safety and health," said Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO. "Never in the history of the Green Cross Medal has a potential recipient invited our team to spend two full days examining its records and witnessing its promotion of safety at every level. The company's two core values, safety and customer service with safety, exemplify the priority with which safety is embraced."

FirstGroup's core values of safety and customer satisfaction are evident through regular fleet investments, adoption of new technologies, and enactment of stringent safety policies and operational procedures, according the company.  Several additional factors were involved in the awarding of the Green Cross Medal, including FirstGroup's commitment to improving the quality of life in communities where its employees work and live.