PORTLAND -- Dragon Cement and Concrete, a Portland, Maine-based cement and ready- mix concrete company, has received an award for its outstanding attention to workplace safety and responsible management of workers' compensation claims.

The Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC), the state's largest workers' compensation insurance company, presented the award to Dragon at its annual meeting in Portland late last month. MEMIC President and CEO John T. Leonard hailed Dragon as one of Maine's best employers and a leader in its industry.

"Because of the commitment made by (Dragon) fewer people are hurt at work, and those who are injured have a better chance to recover and return to work," Leonard said. "They show that our workers' comp system works when we all work together."

Dragon was one of a dozen companies singled out by MEMIC, which insures nearly 19,000 of the state's 27,000 insured businesses. The winners were selected based on achievement in either workplace safety or the compassionate and efficient management of injuries.

The company, which was founded in 1928, is New England's only cement manufacturer and is the state's largest concrete supplier. Headquartered at 38 Preble St. in Portland, Dragon employs more than 230 people in Maine and has more than 10 concrete plants located throughout the state, including in Biddeford, Portland, Brunswick, Lewiston, Augusta, Fairfield, Canton, Farmington, Madawaska and Presque Isle. Also, the company's cement plant in Thomaston produces approximately 450,000 metric tons of cement per year.

Dragon supplies cement and concrete to many major building projects throughout the state. Recent and current projects include the Brunswick/Topsham Bypass, the Casco Bay Bridge in Portland, the Portland International Jetport expansion, the Bath Iron Works expansion, the Southern Maine Juvenile Facility and the "Big Dig" in Boston.