BASF’s Chattanooga site has achieved 25 years with zero lost-time injuries – the longest running record for time without a lost-time injury among the more than 400 members in the manufacturing sector of the Tennessee Safety and Health Council.
“We believe BASF’s commitment to safety is exemplified by their record of 2.5 million work hours without a lost-time injury,” says Gina Jones, executive director of the council. “We’re looking forward to recognizing BASF at our annual awards meeting in May.”
BASF achieved this milestone through a culmination of company, employee and contractor efforts focused on preventing work-related hazards and unsafe behaviors, the company said in a news release.
“This achievement represents teamwork, personal ownership of safety, continuous improvement, focusing on reducing exposures, improving safe behaviors and a true commitment toward zero incidents by our employees and contractors,” says Rob Gagliano, BASF’s site director in Chattanooga.
“Employees currently working at the site along with the retired employees from throughout the years have made significant contributions to recognize and eliminate workplace hazards.”
In addition to focusing on prevention, employees receive ongoing safety training. Ninety percent of the employees are trained as first responders; every production employee has been trained to respond to plant and chemical emergencies, and employees have developed and implemented several areas of improvement, including hand safety, skin care safety, personal protective equipment upgrades and machine guarding.
“Reaching this milestone shows what a group of people can do if they work together to make the workplace safe,” says Steve Hawkins, assistant commissioner of Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health. “By focusing on prevention and integrating workplace safety into their culture, BASF has produced fabulous results.”
Source: BASF