DETROIT – Led by three transmission plants and their UAW Locals in Indiana, 18 Chrysler Group LLC facilities have been honored for their outstanding performance last year when it came to preventing job-related injuries.
CTC leadership from management and UAW Locals 412 and 889 pose with one of the non-manufacturing division awards.
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UAW-Chrysler’s Health and Safety Performance Awards recognized a total of 17 union locals, along with three individual UAW safety reps and three safety supervisors, for contributing to the success of the winning locations from three company divisions – manufacturing, non-manufacturing and parts distribution.
Indiana Transmission Plant (ITP) II (which had dominated the manufacturing awards the previous year), again won the Lowest Incident Rate award. And, along with Indiana Transmission Plant I, ITP II received another award for Lowest Lost Workday Rate. The Kokomo (Ind.) Transmission Plant won the Local Ergonomics Committee award.
UAW Locals 685 and 1302, which represent workers at all three of the Indiana plants, shared those awards.
Indiana Transmission Plant I is one of three award-winning transmission plants in the state. |
Todd Penn, the NTC’s health and safety coordinator from the UAW, said the Performance Awards are a tribute to the leadership of Local Joint Health and Safety Committees “to make safety a top priority every hour of every working day at these facilities.”
Penn added that the awards also reflect greater involvement by UAW members in efforts to prevent injuries. “Our members are taking responsibility for safety issues that affect them and their co-workers to create better working conditions for everybody.”
Kevin Waszak, management health and safety coordinator at the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center, said the awards “recognize UAW-Chrysler’s best performers in health and safety in 2009.”
“Their success underscores the positive impact of our joint approach by management and the UAW to protect all employees from workplace injuries through the B.E.S.T. (Bringing Excellence to Safety Teams) process.”
UAW Health and Safety Rep Darla Franklin (right) and Chrysler Safety Supervisor Jean Melvin of Belvidere (Ill.) Assembly Plant received a Local Joint Health and Safety Committee award. |
Conceived in 1999, the jointly developed and implemented B.E.S.T. process has standardized safety policies and procedures across the company. It has been a major factor in reducing injuries by more than 80 percent since its inception.
In addition, Waszak said “last year the World Class Manufacturing operating system (WCM) was implemented at Chrysler facilities. In WCM, safety is the foundation for all manufacturing activities – a concept supported by both UAW and Chrysler leadership.
The Safety Pillar is the first of ten technical pillars in WCM and is identified as an “essential value,” Waszak added. He said that application of the WCM Safety Pillar enhances the current safety process with continued development of a proactive culture of prevention for occupational safety hazards through the promotion of continuous improvement activities.
NTC Health and Safety Coordinators Kevin Waszak of Chrysler (left) and Todd Penn of the UAW flank Detroit Axle Plant's Wendy Kue (left) and Margaret Mock as they pose with a Lowest Lost Workday award. |
Relying on many tools similar to those used in the past at Chrysler, the 7-step methodology for WCM Safety uses a systematic approach to solve problems, eliminate hazards and sets a new safety standard for all employees.
In addition to the Indiana Transmission plants, three other manufacturing facilities – Mack Avenue Engine Plants I and II in Detroit and the Detroit Axle Plant – also won Lowest Lost Workday awards. Workers at the Mack Engine facilities both are represented by UAW Locals 51, 412 and 889, while Detroit Axle workers are members of Locals 961, 412 and 889.
The manufacturing group award winner for Local Joint Health and Safety Committee was Belvidere (Ill.) Assembly Plant and Locals 1268 and 1761. Individual awardees from Belvidere were UAW Health and Safety Representative Darla Franklin and Chrysler Safety Supervisor Jean Melvin.
CTC Safety Supervisor Fred Jackson and UAW Health and Safety Rep Donna "DJ" Haist with their Local Joint Health and Safety Committee awards.
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Among non-manufacturing group awardees were the Chrysler Technology Center (Auburn Hills, Mich.) and UAW Locals 412 and 889, which won both the Lowest Incident Rate award and the Local Joint Committee award, which singled out UAW Health and Safety Rep Donna "DJ" Haist and Chrysler Safety Supervisor Fred Jackson.
The Local Joint Health and Safety Committee award are given for overall performance. They excelled at teamwork, health and safety coaching, preparation for safety audits and working effectively with Local Employee Participation Council co-chairs.
The committees also demonstrated a strong commitment to implementation of the B.E.S.T. process and promoted positive attitudes toward health and safety.
Two other non-manufacturing facilities – the Arizona Proving Grounds in Yucca, represented by UAW Local 509, and CTC Facilities in Auburn Hills, represented by Local 412 – received the Lowest Lost Workday Rate awards.
UAW Local 412 President Jeff Hagler(left) and Joseph Ozdowy, head of Exterior Building and General Services at CTC Facilities, which also won a Lowest Lost Workday Rate award. |
Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit and its UAW Local 212 members won the Local Ergonomic Committee Award.
In the Parts Distribution Center division, the Lowest Incident Rate award went to the Chicago PDC and UAW Local 1178. The Chicago facility and its Local members also won a Lowest Lost Workday Rate award.
Other Lowest Lost Workday Rate award winners were: Dallas PDC with UAW Local 2360; Denver PDC with UAW Local 186; Los Angeles PDC with UAW Local 230; Marysville PDC with UAW Locals 375 and 889; Memphis (Tenn.) PDC with UAW Local 1086, and Orlando (Fla.) PDC with UAW Local 1649. The Denver PDC also won the Local Ergonomic Committee Award.
The Local Joint Committee award in the Parts Distribution Center division went to the Milwaukee PDC and UAW Local 75. The individual awardees there were UAW Health and Safety Rep Kathie Doherty and Chrysler Safety Supervisor Dave Bauer.
