This article was originally published on www.chattanoogan.com.
BASF’s site located near Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga 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 that BASF’s commitment to safety is exemplified by their record of 2.5 million work hours without a lost time injury,” said Gina Jones, executive director of the Tennessee Safety and Health Council. “The Council looks forward to recognizing BASF at our annual awards meeting in May for such an outstanding achievement.”
BASF achieved this milestone through a culmination of company, employee and contractor efforts focused on identifying leading indicators to prevent, reduce and eliminate work related hazards and unsafe behaviors before they occur, officials said.
“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,” said Rob Gagliano, BASF’s site eirector in Chattanooga.
“Employees who are 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 leading indicators, employees receive ongoing safety training. Ninety percent of employees are trained as first responders, 100 percent of production employees have been trained to respond to plant and chemical emergencies and employees have developed and implemented focused areas of improvement such as Hand Safety, Skin Care Safety, Personal Protective Equipment Assessments and Upgrades and Machine Guarding.
“Reaching this milestone shows what a group of people can do if they all work together to make the work place safe,” said Steve Hawkins, assistant commissioner of Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health. “By focusing on leading indicators and integrating workplace safety into their culture, BASF has produced fabulous results.”
“BASF values the health and safety of people above all else, and will continue to drive improvements in safety culture and performance,” officials said.