Bekaert Steel Wire Reaches Million Man-hour Zero Lost Time Injury Safety Mark

Employees at Bekaert  Steel Wire, 301 Darlington Drive, are celebrating a million  man-hours of production without a safety incident. The last reportable incident  at the Rome plant occurred on June 5, 2011.

Plant Manager Gary Downey,  who is serving as the chairman of the Greater Rome Existing Industries  Association, said that in the past employees have suffered injuries ranging from  broken bones, severed fingers and cuts.  "We've turned that around here in  the last few years to where that's a non-issue for us," Downey said.

He  said there's been a concerted pushback against the idea of cutting corners and  taking risks just to save a little time.  "Everybody is getting the  attitude now that it's not okay to get hurt," he said. "Take your time and do it  safe and you'll go home in the same shape you came to work."

Safety  manager Steve Diaz joined the Bekaert team almost two years ago. He said safety  performance is based on teamwork and communication.    "When we start  talking safety, it's at all levels. And we leave the lines of communication open  all the time," Diaz said. "If there is a risk out there, we only know it if  we've got everyone looking at it."

Leo Bekaert in Zwevegem, Belgium,  founded Bekaert in 1889. The company opened its plant in Rome in 1969 and is a  leading manufacturing of beaded steel wire that is used in the making of  tires.  The Rome plant also makes wire that is used as reinforcement for  the rubber hose industry.

Bekaert has eight other U.S. locations in  Georgia, Arkansas, Ohio and Kentucky. Shawn Smead, regional safety  manager for Bekaert, said the Rogers, Ark., facility has accumulated 2,000,000  safe man-hours and the Van Buren, Ark., plant is within a couple of months of  reaching the 1,000,000 man-hour mark.  "It's something we strive for as a  North American organization, to have our facilities reach milestone such as  this," Smead said.

source from wireworld