AK Steel VP of Safety and Health James W. Stanley to Retire
02/17/2004 -
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AK Steel VP of Safety
and Health
James W. Stanley to Retire
Feb. 17, 2004 — AK Steel Corp. announced that James W. Stanley, 59, will retire from AK Steel effective March 1, 2004.
During Mr. Stanley's tenure at AK Steel, the company's total OSHA injury rate declined by 88%, from 4.39 in 1996 to 0.51 in 2003. By comparison, the average total OSHA injury rate for integrated steel companies was 7.3 in 2002, the most recent data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. During his career at AK Steel, Jim Stanley helped design and implement numerous employee safety enhancements, including a comprehensive training program for contractor employees, the establishment of dedicated, full-time hourly safety coordinators and the implementation of safety rules that far exceed OSHA requirements. The company's Butler, Pa., Works was the first U.S. steel plant to earn OSHA's Star designation under its Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) in 2001, and the company's Rockport, Ind., Works earned the VPP Star designation in 2002. Virtually every one of AK Steel's operating facilities has been recognized by state and federal agencies for outstanding safety performances. Most recently, the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) presented AK Steel with its safety excellence award for "Best Company-Wide Safety Program." Mr. Stanley has routinely facilitated benchmarking of AK Steel's safety program and philosophy by other steel companies and other industries in this country and around the world. |
Jim Stanley joined AK Steel in the new executive post of Vice President—Safety and Health in January of 1996. He had previously worked for the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) where he was that agency's second-ranking official.
"Jim Stanley has devoted his entire public and private career to a single purpose—to eliminate workplace injuries," said James L. Wainscott, President and CEO of AK Steel. "As a result of Jim's dedication and leadership, I believe that employees throughout the entire steel industry, and even all of manufacturing, enjoy a safer workplace today."
"While I will truly miss my colleagues, I am confident that the safety philosophy that has guided AK Steel company will continue uninterrupted," Mr. Stanley said. "I salute the employees and contractors at AK Steel for their incredible dedication to continually improving safety."
Mr. Stanley joined OSHA at its inception in 1971 as a Maritime Safety Officer in the Philadelphia area office, and was later named Compliance Safety and Health officer in the same office. In 1973 he was named Supervisory Safety and Health Specialist for the Pittsburgh office. He was appointed to increasingly responsible positions, and in 1987 was named Regional Administrator for the New York office, one of the most heavily-industrialized regions in the country. In January of 1994, Mr. Stanley was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA in Washington, D.C., a career senior executive service (SES) appointment.
In 2002, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao appointed Mr. Stanley to the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH). The 12-person committee, which was established under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, advises the Secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services, on occupational safety and health programs. Representatives are chosen on the basis of their knowledge and experience in occupational safety and health. Mr. Stanley is also a member of the board of directors of the National Safety Council, and is a member of its executive committee.
