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worldsteel Recognizes Safety and Health Leaders
10/11/2010 - The World Steel Association recognized last week four of its member companies for excellence in safety and health programs: BlueScope Steel, Posco, Tata Steel and United States Steel.
The World Steel Association (worldsteel) recognized last week during its annual conference in Tokyo four of its member companies for excellence in safety and health programs.
Worldsteel noted that all the recognized companies — BlueScope Steel, Posco, Tata Steel and United States Steel — demonstrated a commitment to safety and health that encompasses three basic guidelines:
The promotion of excellence in safety and health practices, endorsed at the highest level, is one of the fundamental goals of all worldsteel member companies.
The set of principles outlined in the worldsteel policy statement are the basis for creating a safe and healthy workplace for everyone in the industry.
· Positively embraces the worldsteel safety and health principles
· Able to demonstrate a measurable impact on safety metrics
· Could easily be applied to other member companies.
worldsteel received 21 submissions for consideration for 2010. Member companies submitted descriptions of initiatives they had developed covering a wide range of activities as well as how they had been introduced into the workplace and impacted the company’s safety statistics. Specific programs that had been submitted by each of the awardees covered a range of activities. For example, BlueScope Steel in Australia developed a safe practice for the loading of trucks at the Western Sydney Service centre.
Tata Steel’s program concentrated on working in confined spaces. The procedures put in place are considered a 'life saving rule' at the company. Since 2006, Tata Steel has had no fatalities in confined spaces.
Posco created its Corporate Safety Department in 2009, with key focus areas including safety culture, leadership and systems, technology and infrastructure. U. S. Steel customized a frame-retardant fabric for use by employees who handle molten metal in the company's primary operations.
Specific details on each of the awardees’ safety and health programs are available on the worldsteel website.
The four recognized companies join a history of safety leadership that worldsteel has honored since beginning the Safety and Health Excellence Recognition at its 2008 Annual General Meeting in Washington DC. That year, five companies received recognition for their outstanding work in the area of safety and health promotion, and in 2009, three additional companies were recognized.
The World Steel Association (worldsteel) is one of the largest and most dynamic industry associations in the world. worldsteel represents approximately 180 steel producers (including 19 of the world's 20 largest steel companies), national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes. worldsteel members produce around 85% of the world's steel.
