In pursuit of its goal of zero injuries, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems recorded its safest year ever in 2016. Bendix plants across North America experienced a record-low 16 recordable injuries, a nearly 50% reduction from 2015. The company cites preventative and corrective safety programs, as well as procedures that empower employees to improve safety, for the best-ever results.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) defines a recordable accident as a workplace injury that requires medical attention beyond first aid. Workplace safety is measured annually by TCIR (Total Case Incident Rate), which is the total number of recordable injuries per 100 workers per year. Bendix’s TCIR of 0.51 in 2016 marked the lowest in company history. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the injury rate for similar manufacturing facilities was 3.9 in 2015.
“Achieving these world-class safety milestones speaks volumes about the commitment of the men and women working for Bendix,” says Carlos Hungria, Bendix Chief Operating Officer. “These accomplishments are not possible without the hard work and dedication displayed day in and day out by Bendix employees. Uncompromising safety – zero injuries is the goal that drives us – is important to our employees and their families and is critical to our success. It will continue to be a top priority for Bendix leadership, as we search for innovative ways to keep improving and ensuring the safety of those who work so hard for this company.”
Nearly every one of Bendix’s 18 North American locations achieved significant safety milestones in 2016. Ten Bendix locations have gone over one year without a recordable injury. Particularly noteworthy milestones for length of time without a recordable injury include: 1 year at the Acuña II facility in Acuña, Mexico; 1 year at the Huntington, IN, operation’s Bendix Brake Shoe Remanufacturing Center; 2 years at Bendix’s headquarters in Elyria, OH; and 4 years at the research and development facility in Kalamazoo, MI. Eight Bendix facilities have gone over 5 years without a recordable injury.
Employees at the Center of Safety
Driven by the long-term strategy of the (HSE) Health Safety & Environmental team at Bendix, the company has implemented several preventative and corrective safety programs, which led to a noticeable improvement in year-over-year safety results. A 24-hour incident notification and containment policy, coupled with incident sharing across all of Bendix’s plants, aided in identifying and reducing similar risks and injuries. Lessons learned from each incident were also shared in order to further contain the incidents.
Engagement opportunities enabled Bendix employees to take on a key role in identifying unsafe conditions, unsafe behaviors, and safety improvements. Bendix leadership also launched mature employee engagement teams in certain locations to address specific safety issues identified through analysis of data – such as ergonomics, forklift management, incident investigation, and risk assessment.
Bendix continues to drive toward its goal of zero injuries, and gets closer each year to reaching it. Company leadership is instilling the philosophy of the “perfect HSE day” – a day without injury. Employees at Bendix are taking the perfect-day pledge to continue working toward keeping themselves and their co-workers safe.
