Safety and Health

• Performance
• Leadership Challenge
• Employee Safety Process
• Auditing
• Awards and Recognitions
• Training
• Regulatory Activity

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.

Performance

Bethlehem improved its safety performance significantly during 1996 with fewer injuries. This resulted in record-low injury and illness incidence rates in the three standard reporting categories — all-injury, total recordable and lost workday. For each month in 1996, the number of employees reporting a work-related injury or illness decreased over the corresponding month in 1995. This resulted in 1,230 fewer injury and illness cases, 973 fewer cases requiring  medical treatment beyond first aid and 223 fewer cases with employees having days away  from work.

Despite fewer reported injuries and lower incidence rates, three Bethlehem employees lost their lives in 1996. We deeply regret these incidents and have extended our condolences to their families, friends and co-workers. In separate instances at one of our facilities, two contractors also lost their lives. These are the only contractor fatalities at Bethlehem Steel facilities over the past 10 years.

We achieved record low incidence rates in 1996. Over the past two years, our lost workday incidence rate1 was reduced 40 percent and the corporate all-injury2 and OSHA total recordable incidence rates3 were reduced 30 percent. Our all-injury rate for 1996 of 16.99 was the best performance we have ever recorded — 21 percent better than the 1995 year-end rate of 21.50. The December 1996 all-injury incidence rate of 13.68 is the best monthly performance ever recorded.

For the year, the Subsidiary Railroads had the best all-injury incidence rate performance among all business divisions. The Railroads’ year-end rate of 10.66 is two percent better than their 1995 rate of 10.83. BethShip showed the most improvement in all-injury incidence rates, down 43 percent from 1995. BethForge, likewise, showed significant improvement in all-injury rates, down 27 percent from 1995. CENTEC showed a 10-percent improvement.

The corporate 1996 lost workday case incidence rate (days away from work) of 2.66 was our lowest rate recorded since governmental recording guidelines were revised in 1987. It represents a 24-percent improvement over the 1995 year-end rate of 3.51.

The corporate total recordable incidence rate of 11.73 was 24 percent lower than the 1995 rate of 15.43. The Railroads had the best performance among all business divisions; BethShip showed the most improvement, down 48 percent from 1995; HPM and BethForge both showed significant improvement, down 44 percent and 39 percent, respectively, from 1995.

1. Lost workday case incidence rate — the total number of injury or illness cases involving days away from work per 200,000 hours worked.
2. All-injury case incidence rate — the total number of injury or illness cases reported per 200,000 hours worked.
3. OSHA total recordables — the total number of injury cases involving medical treatment, which is more than first aid, and all illness cases per 200,000 hours worked.

Leadership Challenge

Most business units made progress in 1996 toward meeting a less-than-one lost workday case incidence rate “Safety Leadership Challenge” by the end of 1997 made by Bethlehem president and chief operating officer Roger Penny. High Power Mountain and BethShip met this leadership challenge of less than one. HPM led the corporation in lost workday performance with no disabling injuries and an incidence rate of zero, followed closely by BethShip with a lost workday incidence rate of 0.13.

CENTEC, Burns Harbor and PST also showed significant improvement in year-end lost workday rates, down 41 percent, 31 percent and 30 percent, respectively. All but one business division had a better lost workday rate in 1996 than in 1995.

Employee Safety Process

The Employee Safety Process (ESP) was introduced to and endorsed by the Corporate SHE Council in January 1996. The goal of ESP is to create an atmosphere in which all employees are actively involved in the day-to-day process of creating the best possible safety environment, both on and off the job. ESP takes an integrated approach that looks at factors in three key areas: environment, people and behavior. It provides the tools to implement a value-based “actively caring” philosophy that gives every employee the opportunity to participate in keeping the workplace safe. Business divisions have begun implementation of ESP, and the process is producing favorable results. Rapid implementation will continue in order to stay on course. Future plans are to establish corporate-wide goals for all organizational levels. For example, our Sparrows Point Division plans to train approximately 75 percent of its employees (4,000 people) in 1997 on ESP.

A new ESP Safety & Health Bulletin was started to support, promote and enhance the actively caring principles of ESP. Employees can use this bulletin to share safety and health information that reinforces the principles and increases understanding of ESP.

Auditing

Comprehensive safety and health audits were conducted at four facilities in 1996. To foster the concepts of Bethlehem’s Employee Safety Process, three of the audits focused on a department’s posture for implementing ESP. The overall corporate audit rating indicated that basic safety processes have been implemented, but require additional work to make them more effective. The findings showed a commitment by business divisions to achieving excellence, recognition by employees that they can make a difference in improving safety performance and the fostering of an actively caring environment by departments. The 1996 rating showed a 10-percent improvement over 1995.

At the request of both PST management and United Steelworkers of America Local 1688, a joint review was conducted of the PST steelmaking department’s safety practices by representatives of the USWA International and Bethlehem’s corporate safety, health and environment department. Recommendations from that review are currently being implemented.

Safety Awards and Recognition

Two “Best Practice Awards” for safety were presented by Roger Penny, Bethlehem's president and chief operating officer, in 1996. These awards recognize and honor facilities, teams and individuals who make significant contributions toward achieving Bethlehem's vision to have the best safety and health performance in industry. Lackawanna Galvanized Products Division received Bethlehem's first-ever Best Practice Award for achieving and sustaining an exemplary commitment to good housekeeping practices. The Burns Harbor coke oven department also received a Best Practice Award for inspiring a shared vision to be the best in safety.

At our Sparrows Point Division, the Union/Management Joint Plant Safety & Health Steering Committee recognizes employees who exemplify the actively caring philosophy of our new Employee Safety Process with its Brother's Keepers award. In 1996, 33 employees were nominated by their co-workers as individuals who make a difference by looking out for the safety and welfare of their fellow workers.

Training

During 1996, 125,000 hours of employee safety and health training were conducted throughout the corporation. This is 18 percent more than the 106,000 hours originally planned. In 1997, Bethlehem expects to complete more than 90,000 hours of safety and health training. The majority of the training in 1996 and 1997 pertains to implementation of the Employee Safety Process program.

The annual safety and health training for union and management safety representatives from all business divisions was held in Bethlehem from June 18-21. The theme was “Leadership in Safety and Health.” Guest speakers included Roger Penny and Jack Jordan from Bethlehem's executive office, Dr. E. Scott Geller, “father” of the actively caring concept in safety, and John Kerst, an ergonomics specialist.

In an effort to bring all of its training programs under one roof, the Burns Harbor Division began construction of a $2.3 million craft and training center in 1996. The center, which opened on February 20, 1997, was the result of a joint study by key labor and management officials, who found that many employees wanted and needed more training. The safety training wing in the 40,000 square-foot building has classrooms, laboratories, a study area, an administrative area with a library, and a meeting room.

Regulatory Activity

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted nine inspections throughout all Bethlehem facilities in 1996. Bethlehem paid $120,489 in penalties related to safety and health in 1996, down 38 percent from the previous year. Broken down by agency, OSHA penalties were 19 percent of the total, and Mine Safety and Health Administration penalties were 81 percent.

1996 Environmental Report Table of Contents