By PETER DAY
Senior Reporter
The steak was hot, right off the grill, and the lunchtime reward was clearly appreciated by the Omya California workers.
But it was all for a worthy cause, according to new plant manager Dave Harp.
"The plant is celebrating six months of no one getting hurt," Harp said. "That's a big deal to us."
The steak feast — with all the fixin's — also celebrated the plant's recent purchase of several new, large trucks whose tailgates will be painted pink as show of support for donating money to the breast cancer research fund.
The idea was put in motion by staffer Manuel Hernandez.
"He needs to get most of the credit," Harp said.
Omya's plant in Lucerne Valley — the international company has plants throughout the world — is a dry grinding facility providing an array of bright white calcium carbonate products.