by Paul Markgraff

Federal-Mogul’s piston ring production facility in Manitowoc, Wis., spans 160,000 square feet. 

To the unprotected worker or plant visitor, that’s 160,000 square feet of deafening noise, thanks to the array of whirring, rumbling and roaring machines.

The plant’s workers are aloof to the noise — not because they’ve gone deaf, but because all wear safety equipment (earplugs, muffs, etc.) that protects them.

Where there’s a need for ear, eye, hand, foot or head protection, the Manitowoc plant has it covered. The site and its workers are serious about safety.

Manitowoc is so good at safety, in fact, it recently beat out nearly 250 other Federal-Mogul plants for one of the company’s 2000 Best of the Year safety awards. From a pool of facilities logging more than 1 million work hours last year, the auto parts manufacturer cited three for safety prowess. The other sites are in Van Wert, Ohio, and Puebla, Mexico. 

The Manitowoc facility posted 1.4 million hours . . . without a lost-time injury. It’s a source of pride and accomplishment.

"When we achieved 1 million hours (without a lost-time case), we bussed the employees to a local restaurant and had the restaurant cater a steak dinner for the employees," says Morrie Ribble, operations manager for Federal-Mogul’s Manitowoc site. "It was a way to celebrate our success and thank the employees for their awesome efforts."

Continuous improvement
Safety celebrations were foreign to the plant just a few years ago.

In 1996, the Manitowoc plant, then known as AE Goetze Inc., employed far fewer people than it does now. It didn’t know how it compared with its peers when it came to safety. It had no formalized safety programs, no individuals devoted to keeping employees injury-free. The safety policy generally was "don’t get hurt."

As the months rolled on, the company began hiring more and more employees, and dabbled in formalized safety practices. By 1998, the payroll grew by more than 25 percent. That year, Federal-Mogul acquired AE Goetze, and the corporation began examining the safety practices and programs of the Goetze plants.

In 1998, Federal-Mogul gave Manitowoc a 6 for its safety score on a scale of 1 to 100 (1 being poor, 100 being outstanding). The rating took into account recordable injuries, lost-time injuries, days away from work, restricted duty and other factors associated with keeping safe. Human resources manager Tom Wurm tied the plant’s safety weaknesses to the influx of new employees.

"With growth like that in relation to the safety program, you are going to have your challenges," says Wurm.

The 6 served as a wakeup call and a launching pad.

As time went on, Manitowoc focused on safety as part of its daily operations. It instituted programs and hired individuals to look at, and act on, ways to improve safety. Determined to make the plant a safe place to work, managers built teams to find solutions.

In 1999, the company’s safety score rocketed to 77. People and programs delivered; progress was made. The march continued. The plant put its money where its mouth was, spending $200,000 for machine guarding and control modifications. It spent another $100,000 to guard five drill presses. The plant hit its stride.

Then came 2000. Early in the year, it registered one lost-time injury. It would be the last incident for 1.4 million hours. It finished the year with a safety score of 85 and a Best of the Year honor.

People and programs
From 1996 through 2000, the Manitowoc plant instituted a host of programs to turn it into a safety leader. Tantamount was the creation of a safety steering committee and employee involvement team to address worker health and protection issues.

Safety steering committee: "It’s a cross-functional group of different people within our facility, and we meet twice a month to address equipment-guarding issues or policy-change issues or anything else," says plant engineering manager Craig Haan. "It’s really beneficial for us. Our plant manager has a key role in it, so it isn’t something only done by mid-level management. It’s driven by upper-level management."

The committee combines its best practices with those from committees at other Federal-Mogul facilities.

"If there is an injury that has significant impact or possibilities corporation-wide, information is sent on what happened," says Wurm. "We review it to see if it is applicable to our location."

Employee involvement (EI) team: The team is led by several individuals, including facilitator Mari Roedig and environmental and safety coordinator Tom Meineke. The group meets once a month and talks about different safety issues. 

Plant-floor workers are encouraged to talk to team members about issues they see as important.

"We also started a formal audit of the facility where we go around once a month and audit OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) type items," says Meineke. "We also review injuries that happened within the last month to see if there are ways we can improve."

Other best practices utilized at the Manitowoc plant include:

S.T.O.P.: The plant took a page from Du Pont’s best practices. Its Supervisor Training and Observation Program (S.T.O.P.) teaches employees the value of safe practices. It encourages employees to embrace safety, rather than shun it. Haan says the program includes weekly and daily audits of plant-floor employees.

"When we observe a deficiency in safety, we approach those responsible in an environment of respect and dignity, and speak with the person about what they are doing wrong," says Wurm. "You try to encourage them to do the right thing voluntarily instead of having to submit to some penalty later on."

Interplant safety teams: Manitowoc isn’t alone in its drive toward safety. It regularly meets with other Federal-Mogul facilities, including a piston ring plant in nearby Wausau, Wis. "We share our successes and the areas that need improvement," says Haan.

Return-to-work program: This program, led by benefits administrator Marie Jentsch, was integral in completing 1.4 million hours without a lost-time injury. 

When a worker sustains an injury, Jentsch works with the employee and supervisors to find work that takes into account the employee’s temporary restrictions.

Wurm says if a person is able to remain at work, he or she returns to full duty quicker than if the plant simply provided leave time.

"The work we provide these employees is meaningful, not just work to save a lost-time injury," says Wurm. "It keeps them focused."

After the honors
The plant is proud of its hard work and accomplishments.

"It took a lot to implement all of the different programs; those don’t just happen," Haan says. "But it’s nice to see after you go and do all that work that there’s a reward at the end."

The plant isn’t resting on its laurels. It educates employees daily on safe practices and works hard to foster an environment where employees watch out for each other.

"Our core values are to respect, trust and help each other," says Wurm. "You can’t respect each person if you allow him or her to work in an unsafe condition."

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