There has not been a lost-time accident at the John Deere Power Products plant since Sept. 12, 2002 -- a stretch that adds up to 10 million hours of production.

Last Thursday, the company celebrated that major accomplishment with a chicken dinner for employees and guests.

Jim Field, of Cary, N.C., president of John Deere's Commercial and Consumer Equipment Division, which includes the Greeneville plant, put the date in perspective when he noted that the string of safe working hours "began a year and a day after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001," when America was attacked by terrorists.

"It's been a long, long run," Field said.

The division president said that whether he is in a John Deere meeting in India, Brazil, Canada or Greeneville, Tenn., the first thing on the agenda is always, "How are we doing on safety?"

Field said safety "is the linchpin" of the company's three overall goals: exceptional operating performance, high-performance teamwork, and disciplined growth.

The John Deere executive said 10 million hours of production without a lost-time accident is not accomplished without a lot of teamwork.

"You know the saying, 'You got my back'?" He said that, for such an impressive record to accumulate, "Everybody in this facility must have everybody's back."

Field said he looks forward to returning, "I hope about a year from now," to celebrate yet another milestone.

Darla Bowman, the company's "safety champion," an internal term for safety manager, welcomed the crowd, which included Tennessee Commissioner of Labor James Neeley, of Nashville, Greene County Mayor Alan Broyles, and Greeneville Mayor-elect Laraine King.

Bowman also introduced employees Carroll Burnette, David Myers, Gerlinde Myers, Shelby Childers and Susan Roberts, who performed "The John Deere Safety Song," to the tune of "Ghost Riders in the Sky."

The chorus of the song is: "Yippie-yi-ay, yippie-aye-oh, Here comes David Smith, let's all watch him mow."

Smith, the plant manager, pronounced himself speechless after hearing the song.

But he added, "Now my life is complete -- great wife, great family, great place to work, and now my name is in the lyrics of a country-western song."

Cheering and applause greeted the song, and many employees sang along on the chorus.

Smith said the 10-million-hour milestone was achieved because, at John Deere, "safety is embedded in the entire organization."

He introduced several company officials, including Udo Frick, division director of finance, who came "all the way from Germany" for the celebration.

State Labor Commissioner Neeley called the achievement "astronomical," and something "not many facilities with a workforce this large can achieve."

He noted that the company has reduced its accident rate by 73 percent in the process, which is an achievement itself, "and speaks volumes."

Neeley presented Smith with a plaque commemorating the milestone, saying Gov. Phil Bredesen told him "to tell you to keep on going" toward an even bigger record.

Neeley said that, with the commitment to safety the company has made, and what it has shown about "what Tennessee workers can do, you might need to expand operations," drawing applause from the crowd.

Smith said the local John Deere plant currently has about 500 employees, but the total increases to about 1,000 when temporary workers are added during the peak production season in the winter.

The Greeneville plant makes seven types of riding lawnmowers, producing about 300,000 of them annually.

Smith said every John Deere "L Series" riding mower sold through either Lowe's or Home Depot stores is manufactured at the Greeneville plant.