J & J Fire Protection Company accepted the Governor's Award for Safety Excellence on Wednesday at their office in Penn Township. From left are Scott Weiant, PA Department of Labor and Industry; Rep. Daryl Metcalfe; Jim Shipley, vice president of J & J Fire; Steve Fireoved of PA Department of Labor and Industry; and Congressman Mike Kelly.

Butler — A small business is one of five companies in Western Pennsylvania honored with the 2014 Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence.

Representatives from J & J Fire Protection Co., 101 Powell Road, accepted the award Wednesday.

“We’ve been developing our safety program over nine years,” said Vicki Gass, president. “You can’t just decide one day to do safety and then get an award. It’s year after year of having good results from your program.”

Gass said J & J uses multiple safety programs, including vehicle and employee, based on a system by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Pennsylvania.

This year, 63 companies applied for the award that is based on an application, site tours and a review by the state Department of Labor and Industry.

With 15 employees, dedication from everyone was key to the safety program’s success, Gass said. She said earning the award shows employees and clients that J & J cares about their safety.

“We install fire sprinklers in commercial buildings and that’s a safety product in itself, so it shows that we’re dedicated to providing a quality construction project and that we care about what it is that we’re doing,” Gass said.

The award is presented by Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Pennsylvania.