KINGSPORT, Tenn. (From news reports) - The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development has awarded Domtar Paper with the Governor's Award of Excellence for Workplace Safety and Health.

The award honors employers and employees in Tennessee who meet a required number of hours without a workplace injury serious enough to cause an employee to miss a day of work or restrict normal job activities.

Domtar qualified for the award by working more than 1,038,236 hours without a lost time workplace injury or illness.

The number of hours required to receive this award is based on the size of the company.

In a press release, Assistant Administrator for the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration Jim Flanagan said, "Domtar Paper has demonstrated a strong commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace".

Flanagan presented the award to company leaders on Wednesday.

"The evaluation criteria for this award are challenging and this company has worked extremely hard to meet and exceed the standards the award requires," Flanagan said.