The Huntington, Indiana, manufacturing complex of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC is celebrating two outstanding accomplishments – related to plant safety and product quality – during the first half of 2020.
One success was documenting zero recordable injuries across its six facilities. The campus also recorded high marks for product quality, as evidenced by a very low defect rate – only 18 out of every million parts shipped. The Huntington workforce was able to deliver these results, even while managing through business and operations impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Huntington team planned to celebrate the milestones with all employees by distributing DQ Dilly Bars during lunch breaks at all plant cafeterias on July 15. This small gesture of socially distanced gratitude was intended to acknowledge the accomplishments by the campus’ nearly 450 employees.
“Our achievement of zero injuries is a powerful testament to the safety commitment our employees make every day when they come to work,” said Christopher Camp, Huntington plant manager. “This reflects the care and respect we all have for remaining vigilant on the job and paying attention to the details. The same goes for our ability to achieve a standout product quality number. With this performance, the Huntington team has demonstrated that the strong connections we’ve developed with our customers are being carried through into our operations each and every day. It shows that we’re in tune with our customers’ needs and delivering on their highest expectations.”
Prioritizing a Safe Workplace
Bendix’s Huntington manufacturing campus experienced zero recordable injuries from January through June 2020, meaning there were no injuries that required medical treatment beyond first aid. As such, the campus also experienced zero lost time accidents thus far in 2020, and three of its six facilities have surpassed the one-year mark without any recordable injuries.
The Huntington facility’s Total Recorded Incident Rate (TCIR) is also recorded as zero for the first six months of 2020. TCIR is the statistic that measures overall workplace safety performance and reflects the total number of recordable injuries per 100 workers per year. For 2019, Bendix as a whole achieved a TCIR of 0.64, which is far below the industry average.
Safety processes contributing to these results include both preventive and corrective programs, such as empowering team members to identify and correct risks. For example, every employee has “STOP Work Authority” to halt any activity they believe puts them or a co-worker at risk.
“We’re constantly taking steps to make sure that the proper resources are always in place to ensure that safety processes are documented, communicated, and followed,” said Blake Tippmann, Health, Safety, and Environmental manager for Huntington. “We also put a great deal of time and effort into communicating to our employees and contractors the safety standards that Bendix upholds. Every Huntington employee is empowered to continually work to eliminate the risks that they identify, and by doing this, it’s our expectation that workplace safety risks will continue to decline, with the goal being zero injuries.”
Huntington also makes use of behavioral safety audits, referred to as “Be Awares,” which are a means of encouraging employees to talk with co-workers about remaining mindful on the job and having an open forum to broach any safety behaviors that concern them.
