Bethlehem Steel
Corporation
1995 Environmental Progress Report
Safety Improvements
Overall, we improved our 1995 corporate all-injury performance by 9 percent over 1994. Our December all-injury rate was the best performance ever by the company (since surpassed by our 1996 performance through June). The all-injury incidence rate is the total number of injury or illness cases reported per 200,000 hours worked.
Our lost workday case incidence rate for 1995 was a 16 percent improvement over the 1994 rate. Regretfully, despite these improvements in performance, fatal accidents at our facilities claimed five valued Bethlehem Steel employees during 1995 and underscore for all of us that we must make even greater efforts in safety if we are ever to achieve our vision to become the premier steel company. The lost workday case incidence rate is the total number of injury or illness cases involving days away from work per 200,000 hours worked.
Sparrows Point turned in the most dramatic reduction (34%) over 1994 in all-injury cases, followed by BethForge. Sparrows Point also reduced its lost workday case rate over 1994 more than any other steel business unit, followed by Lackawanna Coke and BethForge.
Setting a Safety Challenge
Bethlehem's president and chief operating officer, Roger Penny, issued a safety leadership
challenge to all employees and operations at the end of 1995. To become the premier steel
company, he said, we must become "the safest steel company in the business. . .we've
got to measure ourselves against the best in class--in our company, in our industry, and
in manufacturing."
An aggressive corporate-wide lost workday case incidence rate goal was established to achieve "best in class" status by the end of 1997. All operations are developing plans to achieve this performance objective.
Training
Training programs are offered periodically to all employees. Training in 1995 included the
following subjects: heat, gas, radiation, CPR, hazard communication, confined space,
personal protective equipment, boat and water safety, repetitive motion, hazardous and
toxic chemicals, asbestos, various OSHA standards, respirators, interactive computer
safety, and fire extinguishers, among others. Other training activity included
train-the-trainers workshops, development of more active and effective safety teams,
restructured safety and health committees and a safety team exchange with another steel
company.
Recognition
Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England Railroad, one of Bethlehem Steel's subsidiary
railroads, received a silver Harriman Award for safety performance from the E.H. Harriman
Memorial Awards Institute, Washington, D.C. Overall, it has won a gold, silver or bronze
award in 16 of the 28 years in which the Harriman Awards have been presented.
BethForge, Inc., received a 1995 Safety Award from the Forging Industry Association for achieving incidence and severity rates lower than the average of companies in its industry size group.
Employee Involvement
Bethlehem Steel has worked in partnership with the United Steelworkers of America Health,
Safety and Environment Department to create and empower safety involvement teams at its
steelmaking business units. We firmly believe that safety is a shared responsibility that
requires the commitment and energy of every Bethlehem employee.
There were more than 90 active safety teams at our steelmaking business units in 1995. Similar teams have been charged with safety and health responsibilities at our BethEnergy and BethShip divisions. We wish to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of these teams and thank team members for their tireless efforts, their ideas, and their actively caring to improve safety for all of the people of Bethlehem Steel.
Auditing Performance
During the year, we conducted comprehensive safety and health audits at seven of our
facilities. Joint labor-management audit teams measured the effectiveness of safety and
health processes and management systems in selected departments.
Employee Safety Process
During 1995, a joint union and management safety task group designed a new Employee Safety
Process (ESP), which is being implemented during 1996. The goal of the new ESP is to
create an environment in which all employees actively involve themselves in creating the
best possible safety environment, both on and off the job. The task group, composed of
labor and management representatives from across the corporation, designed a series of
work books and other handouts that will be printed and distributed throughout the company
to help everyone implement the process.
Bethlehem's Safety and Health Philosophy*
We are committed to the safety and health of our employees. We must judge our actions and results by the best industry has to offer.
Our Vision
- Have the best safety and health performance in industry and be the industry leader in achieving safety and health excellence.
- Jointly manage safety and health as an ongoing process.
- Create a work environment that fosters union/management participation and employee empowerment.
We Believe:
- Safety is a fundamental value, shared by each employee--it will not be compromised.
- All accidents, injuries and work-related illnesses can be prevented--every job we do must be done safely.
- Safety is a shared responsibility and every employee must be a partner in providing safe work practices and conditions.
- Nothing is more important than safety--excellence in safety, quality and productivity must be one measure of a successful organization.
- All levels of the organization must manage safety as they manage productivity, quality
and cost and be held accountable for their performance.
*developed by the Safety and Workers' Compensation Process Improvement Team, 1994:
Safety, Health and Environment Department
1170 Eighth Avenue, Martin Tower; 12th Floor, Bethlehem, PA 18016-7699
For further information about this report, send mail to [email protected]
Environmental Report Table of Contents
If you have any questions or comments, please Contact Us
�1999, Bethlehem Steel Corporation