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MSA Wins National Award for Employee Wellness Programs
PBGH Employer Member Granted "Gold Well Workplace Award"

PITTSBURGH, June, 15, 2009 –The Pittsburgh Business Group on Health congratulates Mine Safety Appliances Company (MSA), a PBGH Employer Member, in receiving the Wellness Councils of America “Gold Well Workplace Award” for its superior employee wellness program. MSA, the leading global provider of safety equipment, is the first Pittsburgh-based company to receive this award and be recognized as one of America’s healthiest companies.

The Gold Award is an honor reserved for companies and organizations that have incorporated wellness into the culture of the workplace, designed a comprehensive wellness program to engage all employees in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and made wellness a way of life.

MSA’s partnership with beBetter Networks, a health promotion and prevention services company, has enhanced the success of MSA’s wellness efforts by providing them with population management services like biometric screening and health risk assessments

The same partnership that has proven successful for MSA is also available to all PBGH employer members. beBetter Networks offers services for health risk appraisals and biometric screenings to employees and dependents of PBGH’s employer members as part of a preferred group-purchasing program.

In addition to biometric screening and health risk assessments, MSA’s wellness program provides employees with additional wellness opportunities, including financial reimbursement for health club memberships, health risk awareness classes, walking programs and weight loss and smoking cessation programs.

About the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health
Founded in 1981, the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health (PBGH) is a non-profit organization and business-only coalition representing more than 60 Employer Members, more than 800,000 employees, dependents and retirees, and over $4 billion in health care expenditures. The organization strives to improve the delivery, cost and quality of health care by implementing and supporting quality initiatives, analyzing health care data and resources, and providing forums for exchange of ideas and viewpoints. Visit www.pbghpa.com for more information.

About MSA
Established in 1914, MSA is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supple of safety products that protect people's health and safety. Many MSA products typically integrate any combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive line of products is used by workers around the world in the fire service, oil, gas, and petrochemical industry, homeland security, construction, mining, and other industries, as well as the military. Principal products include self-contained breathing apparatus, gas masks, gas detection instruments, head protection, ballistic body armor, fall protection devices, thermal imaging cameras. The company also provides a broad range of consumer and contractor safety products through retail channels. These products are marketed and sold under the MSA Safety Works brand. MSA has annual sales of approximately $1 billion, manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, and more than 40 international locations. Additional information is available on the company's website at www.msanet.com.

Contact:
Chris Whipple
Executive Director
Pittsburgh Business Group on Health
724-251-0230