Shared Value: Encouraging Wellness and Safety, Both on the Job and Away from Work
We are committed to encouraging wellness and safety both on the job and away from work. We are a people enterprise, and we depend on the physical, mental and emotional health of all our associates to make Goodyear one of the best places to work.
Sustainable EHS Management
Goodyear's goal is to be the industry leader in environmental, health and safety (EHS) performance. Our global EHS system is designed to deliver the best performance and enhance the value of our brand while supporting our innovation engine. Our vision is to maintain EHS excellence while sustaining the delivery of the highest-quality tires, related products and services. Our vision will be achieved by continuing to develop engaged and capable leaders and associates; ensure proactive management of issues, regulatory requirements and resulting compliance; prevent and reduce risks in our facilities, offices and environment; ensure holistic and integrated data management; and conduct robust auditing.
We believe sustainable and effective EHS management requires a clear policy and shared values in order for our system of leadership, measurements, standards, audits, and innovation to be able to drive improvement. We set aggressive goals for the company and attribute our positive EHS performance to our well-trained, capable leaders and associates, and our EHS system. Our goals are set high as Goodyear is committed, as stated in our EHS policy, to protecting the health and safety of our associates, the environment, our customers and the communities in which we operate.
An important component of our EHS management system is global measurement of key performance indicators. Goodyear has established environmental and safety standards that represent legal requirements and industry best practices. To help ensure that our facilities are on track to meet these requirements and best practices, a combination of annual self-audits and biennial independent audits are performed by teams consisting of regional/corporate EHS professionals and consultants. A total of 335 audits were performed in 2011 at our offices, research and test facilities, and manufacturing plants. Of these audits, about one-third were self-audits, 27 percent were regional audits, and the remaining 40 percent were performed by third-party entities, including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) compliance audit, Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) audit, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) audit.
Goodyear's audit program provides opportunities for coaching and learning, sharing best practices, and identifying ways to optimize EHS performance. All nonconformances identified during an audit are addressed in corrective action plans that are executed by each plant and its associates.
The key to Goodyear's EHS success goes far beyond the audit program to embrace proactive initiatives that minimize or eliminate potential impacts to employee health and the environment. Such initiatives include:
- Developing advanced materials and manufacturing processes to reduce the use of solvents;
- Performing risk assessments on new and existing equipment and processes to identify and manage or eliminate hazards;
- Using advanced instrumentation to detect and alert us to oil leaks so they can be managed before having any environmental impact;
- Identifying out-of-process situations (OOPS) that have resulted in injuries, and documenting and training associates on corrective actions as part of the Job Safety Analysis; and
- Eliminating waste disposed of in landfills.
The many physical improvements that have been made in our plants help to continue our EHS success. Ergonomic changes help to improve postures, reduce stresses from lifting, pushing and pulling, and task frequency. Other physical improvements include: the installation of safety controls, safety laser scanners and light curtains; controls to prevent and contain leaks or spills from containers and tanks during storage and loading/unloading operations; fuel burners that reduce emissions of pollutants and save energy; and fire safety systems and practices that prevent and help minimize risks to associates, facilities and equipment.
The selection and monitoring of key metrics to reduce or eliminate EHS impacts and risks are crucial to sustainable EHS management. These metrics are communicated throughout the organization to ensure associate awareness, improve their understanding and encourage their participation and engagement in our EHS efforts. The key EHS metrics include capital expenditures, safety incidents, near misses, ergonomic assessments, safety perception surveys, training and accountability, improvement of safe actions through observation and feedback, greenhouse gas reductions, solvent elimination, environmental releases and waste to landfill. The performance at all Goodyear facilities is measured using these metrics and reported on a monthly basis to the company's leadership team. This collaboration and oversight drives continuous improvements in our performance. Goodyear's focus on driving leading indicator metrics helps to improve our performance by preventing safety and environmental incidents.
Training helps to ensure that all associates are aware of and understand the various EHS aspects and impacts of our operations and products, as well as the company's EHS standards, key initiatives and best practices that drive continuous improvement. Training is a fundamental prerequisite to developing educated, engaged, safe and environmentally productive associates. Every Goodyear associate, whether on the facility floor, in the office or on the road, is targeted for EHS training so that each can share in and help promote our EHS vision.
Preventative maintenance and compliance serve as one of our four safety cornerstones. Keeping our physical facilities and equipment in good operating condition is crucial to producing excellent products and also helps to prevent out-of-process situations - what we call OOPS - which can pose potential hazards to associates. OOPS are uncharacteristic and abnormal conditions, and in 2011, we began a process of identifying and developing safe actions for associates to follow when they occur. To help improve OOPS awareness, a series of high-impact videos were developed to prevent hand and finger injuries. Our 11X video series refers to the fact that an associate is 11 times more likely to experience an injury when confronted with an OOPS.
We continue to develop and communicate other initiatives that are critical to associate, visitor and contractor safety, including requirements for personal protective equipment, emergency planning and egress, fall protection, confined space entry, control of hazardous energy, and fire safety.
Communications are at the heart of our quest to continually improve our global EHS performance. Internal communications were enhanced in 2011 through the creation of an integrated EHS and sustainability website, monthly newsletter, and global and regional workshops, where plant, regional and corporate EHS professionals worked collectively to identify opportunities for improvement, resolve existing challenges and perform strategic EHS planning. Through these various communications channels, information on Goodyear's EHS vision, expectations and performance reaches associates worldwide.
Most of our plants have adopted or been certified by internationally recognized EHS management systems, including ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and the OSHA VPP. These systems provide formalized, systematic approaches to managing and reducing environmental impacts and reducing health and safety risks associated with plant operations and products. Goodyear plants use the Plan, Do, Check and Act cycle to continuously improve EHS performance by identifying objectives. Vital components of each of these EHS management systems include management support, associate participation, legal compliance and continuous improvement. To obtain and maintain certification for these programs requires internal audits as well as external audits by an independent, third-party expert. In the case of the OSHA VPP program, OSHA serves as the independent expert.
EHS Leadership
Goodyear promotes EHS leadership at every level of the organization. Our management provides direction and support but also demonstrates a commitment to strong EHS performance by leading by example. Leaders at all levels of the organization are accountable for safety through clear and measureable objectives that align with company goals. Leaders regularly participate in labor-management safety teams to support and direct safety priorities, and conduct regular plant safety tours to observe and identify physical and behavioral safety opportunities.
We believe all associates must be engaged in their own personal safety as well as the safety of those around them, and our vision is focused on creating a company where No One Gets Hurt. Every Goodyear facility engages associates in various EHS activities. Our North American Tire plant hourly associates serve as Target Zero and ergonomic coordinators; our Latin American Tire plant hourly associates present at weekly safety meetings; and associates in our Europe, Middle East and Africa Tire region engage in Continuous Improvement (CI) activities that incorporate safety components, such as 5S, Standardized Work or Total Preventative Maintenance (TPM), to name a few. As our safety success depends on engaged associates, associate engagement in EHS activities will be a leading indicator that we will measure and promote in 2012.
Workplace Safety
After five years of steady improvement, our workplace safety performance regressed in 2011 with a year-end OSHA Total Incident Rate (TIR) that was 17 percent above 2010's performance. This slight increase was driven by the performance of a handful of plants in North America. Plans for these plants have been reviewed and improvements are being implemented to get us back on our journey to world-class performance.
In our manufacturing facilities, we had 1.95 recordable injuries per 100 employees compared to 1.66 in 2010. On the positive side, the number of days that our associates were away from work or were placed on restricted duty due to an injury was reduced by 24 percent, with our North American Tire region being one of the major contributors to this achievement.
Making sure our workplaces are safe from harmful chemical exposures is a priority, and Goodyear plants collected and analyzed almost 6,000 samples in 2011 to accomplish this. Goodyear has an aggressive program to monitor potential exposures to substances and ensure proper engineering controls are installed and tested regularly. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is available and used by associates when and where appropriate, and training programs are in place to provide education on how to properly select and use all PPE.
No One Gets Hurt
In 2005, Goodyear introduced the internal safety initiative, No One Gets Hurt. At the time, we had an industry-leading safety record but knew we could do even better. With 1,755 recorded incidents in our global manufacturing system in 2004, it was critical we improve our performance and further reduce the number of injuries and accidents.
No One Gets Hurt was introduced to strengthen our focus on safety by raising awareness of at-risk behavior, increasing training and education, and encouraging all associates to become safety leaders. The program has been a huge success, and we have achieved dramatic improvements since 2005.
Goodyear ended 2011 with 879 global manufacturing OSHA incidents. Using the OSHA (TIR) calculation that examines the number of injuries per 100 employees, we achieved a TIR of 1.95. By comparison, Goodyear had a TIR of 3.7 in 2004. A TIR of 1.0 or below is considered world-class and was accomplished in three of our four regions in 2011 - Asia Pacific Tire; Europe, Middle East and Africa Tire; and Latin American Tire. We will focus on improvement in our North American Tire region to achieve world-class safety performance in 2012.
No One Gets Hurt has four key elements - Leadership, Behavior, Ergonomics, and Preventive Maintenance/Compliance - that continue to drive our vision. Goodyear's Latin American Tire and Chemical Division are almost there. Latin American Tire had six recordable incidents in 2011 and a TIR of 0.16, and the Chemical Division had five recordable incidents for a TIR of 0.62. Both are on the cusp of attaining our No One Gets Hurt vision while building, servicing, and delivering quality products.
In 2011, twelve Goodyear facilities had zero OSHA recordable incidents. The Bayport, Texas, chemical plant achieved an unprecedented 7.5 years without an OSHA incident in 2011, and the Santa Barbara, Brazil, retread facility surpassed the five-year mark without an OSHA incident. The Birmingham motorsport plant in the U.K. achieved two years without an OSHA incident and the Latin American Tire region went the last two months of 2011 without any first aids or OSHA injuries—these are all amazing accomplishments that serve as inspiration for the continued improvement in our global performance.
At Goodyear plants in Latin America, a blue flag is raised to indicate the achievement of more than 30 days without a safety or first aid incident. The blue flag, signed by every employee at each plant to signify their commitment to safety, flew at every Goodyear plant in Latin America in November and December of 2011.
Keeping employees, visitors and contractors informed of safety initiatives and requirements is fundamental to preventing safety incidents. Our facility in Hanau, Germany, has an associate communications area where safety, quality and other important information is displayed on boards or shown on monitors. In addition, another area has monitors where visitors and contractors can sign in to be trained on safety requirements.
Wellness
Recognizing the importance of a healthy, engaged and productive workforce, Goodyear developed and introduced the GoodLife brand in 2011. GoodLife has the mission of fostering an atmosphere of wellness that promotes a culture of health for Goodyear associates and their families while positively impacting Goodyear's business objectives. It's a way of providing information, tools and resources that empower associates to become healthy, engaged and productive at work and at home. The goals of GoodLife include preventing illness and injury whenever possible and getting people into the right care, at the right place, at the right time when prevention is no longer possible.
Goodyear associates showed great excitement when the GoodLife team introduced a pilot wellness competition at our Akron facilities. The 12-week program, Racing Toward Wellness, consisted of fitness challenges, nutrition classes and health knowledge questions to engage associates and provide them with the tools necessary to take positive behavioral action. Participants also took part in wellness assessments and biometric screenings to gain a greater understanding of their individual health. Some impressive highlights of the program included the following:
- 528 associates participated in the program with 246 completing the entire 12-week program;
- 84 percent of participants said they learned something new about their health;
- 74 individuals lost three or more pounds;
- Participants' knowledge of their biometric numbers increased from 30 percent before the program to 91 percent at the end of the program; and
- 72 percent of participants received a flu vaccination. In general, success is considered at 30 percent for a targeted population.
Industrial Hygiene
Our Industrial Hygiene program was refreshed in 2011 to continue to ensure that our facilities are collecting the right samples that will provide us with the most meaningful data to adequately protect our associates.
Ergonomics
An associate in Hanau, Germany, uses an adjustable scissors lift to position parts in order to reduce at-risk postures.
Goodyear has developed an aggressive ergonomic program to reduce the number of injuries that result from strains, sprains, inflammation of tendons and back pain. Since 2005, Goodyear has required all associates to be trained in ergonomics; used ergonomic teams to identify and prioritize risks; and has eliminated or made plans to eliminate high- and medium-risk jobs and tasks that can result in injuries. Our ergonomics approach is systematic and involves quantifying the degree of ergonomic risk associated with performing a job or specific task. The risk assessment evaluates job/task postures, frequency, forces involved and other physical factors, such as vibration and low temperatures, to quantify the overall risk in a single value. At-risk jobs are targeted for risk reduction through the brainstorming of cross-functional teams to identify tools, equipment or administrative actions that will result in risk reduction.
Modeled after a contest created by our ergonomic service provider, Humantech, Goodyear launched an annual "Find It - Fix it" competition in 2009. The contest is a challenge to every Goodyear facility to submit their best examples of ergonomic improvements. In 2011, 109 submissions were received from around the world. After careful deliberation by safety and ergonomic experts, the 2011 award went to the Goodyear mold facility in Luxembourg. The Luxembourg associates won for their Regrooving Depth Indicator (RDI) Pin Drilling project. Their ergonomic solution eliminated all ergonomic risks associated with the RDI drilling machine and required no external costs - only an internal master program change.
Behavioral Safety - Choosing to Work the Safe Way
For a variety of reasons, people do not always perform a task in the safest way. At Goodyear, the Target Zero program was started to help influence associates to always perform in a safe manner, both on and off the job. The process empowers associates to observe, collect and share data on how often a particular task is performed in a safe or unsafe manner, and then participate in feedback sessions that identify barriers to consistently perform the task in a safe way. The end result is that we often eliminate the barriers and, consequently, eliminate the unsafe actions. Our Target Zero program has been successful in improving our safety culture by engaging associates to remove many of the roadblocks that prevent them from always taking the safest path.
Latin American Tire has taken the Target Zero concept to a new level with an initiative that focuses on prevention through observation and self-control. With the assistance of mentors to coach and monitor progress, associates select aspects of their job that they believe can be improved from a safety standpoint and consciously perform self-observations, tracking their performance daily. It is an initiative that fits perfectly with their mantra "I, My Safety Leader."
Fire Safety
Goodyear continued to upgrade the fire protection features at our manufacturing and warehouse facilities in 2011, bringing them closer to achieving a level known throughout the insurance industry as Highly Protected Risk (HPR). To date, 11 manufacturing and 11 non-manufacturing facilities have earned HPR certification. This is a slight reduction from 2010, as two manufacturing facilities were sold and one that had achieved HPR certification closed. Our tire manufacturing facility in Topeka, Kansas, achieved HPR certification in 2011 and we expect several other manufacturing facilities to meet this goal in 2012. Over the past five years, Goodyear has invested $62 million in fire safety improvements, eliminating a significant amount of loss expectancy. Though capital investment to improve physical fire protection facilities is important, equally important is the implementation of human element systems, such as hot work, red tag repair, valve inspection and emergency preparedness. All Goodyear facilities are expected to know how these systems work and follow their guidelines.
Fire protection project improvements are being completed globally in other Goodyear facilities, according to a plan to certify all plants as HPR locations. Goodyear continues to promote and enforce our fire protection policy throughout the company in order to sustain our manufacturing capability and protect our associates and property well into the future.
Global Business Continuity Process
Goodyear's Global Business Continuity team remains committed to delivering business value with its continued focus on associates, facilities, customers and business operations when faced with extraordinary incidents. Again in 2011, the potential impact of these incidents was dramatically reduced as a result of the team's implementation of response and recovery procedures. By successfully identifying risks and critical processes, Goodyear can take steps to speed up response and recovery when incidents occur. Implementing an "all hazards" approach ensures we provide value while preparing for, responding to and recovering from any and all types of incidents.
An annual company-wide method of operational and facility risk assessment was completed and presented to management to integrate into planning processes. Regional and facility business continuity teams will continue to take steps to identify and close any potential gaps in their planning for risks that are most likely to affect them. The global team will continue to support all regions to ensure strategies are implemented effectively when needed.
Global incident monitoring in 2011 revealed the following statistics of incident location, type and duration:
Location data:
- Akron Corporate Headquarters 10%
- Asia Pacific Tire 26%
- Chemical 6%
- Europe, Middle East and Africa Tire 21%
- Latin American Tire 12%
- North American Tire 25%
- Human 29%
- Natural 52%
- Technological 19%
- Less than one day 35%
- One day to one week 41%
- More than one week 24%
A main focus on external partners continues into 2012 with the goal of synchronizing planning to maximize positive impact. In addition, a new vendor management initiative was begun in 2011 to identify the most critical suppliers and partners and to share the benefits of a robust business continuity process. The criticality of Goodyear's supply chain and sales and operations planning process continues to be a focus in preparedness efforts. Recent natural disasters in Asia Pacific demonstrated the automobile and electronics industries' global reliance on second- and third-tier suppliers. A gap analysis from the extensive work on the 2011 Japan earthquake, tsunami and radiological incident resulted in development of Goodyear's business continuity "Nuclear/Radiological Action List," which has been shared with all facilities worldwide.
Our business continuity process continues to implement lessons learned from actual incidents, and our innovative supply chain and internal benchmarking processes have been featured at conferences and highlighted in industry publications. Goodyear continues to partner with international standards-making organizations to ensure our business continuity policy and organizational charter remain technically current and abreast of the latest matters affecting the industry. All global business continuity teams continue to focus on meeting the needs of our customers and showing business value in addition to protecting our associates.
Safety Programs for Communities
Around the globe, Goodyear associates play an important role in improving safety by introducing campaigns focused on road and vehicle safety. Here are a few highlights from 2011:
- Goodyear Vietnam launched the "Care for Your Safety" campaign to help reduce safety risks for drivers on the road. The campaign included a safe-driving training program, free tire checks and a safety team who helped to detect traffic risks on the road.
- Goodyear Indonesia also introduced a "Care for Your Safety" campaign in 11 major cities across the country. The campaign promoted safe driving and included free tire safety checks.
- Goodyear Italy launched a safety campaign, "Being safe together," which features "Goodhero," a cartoon superwoman who lives in the blimp, works to prevent danger on the roads and promotes a culture of safety. The campaign was recognized for its credibility and social relevance and was promoted by partners, including the Italian Interior Ministry, Ministry of Youth and Italian Highway Police.
- In Chile, Goodyear held its second annual Traffic Safety Fair, where road and tire safety tips were provided to the general public. Similar events were held in five cities across Turkey to educate the public about the importance of proper tire selection and maintenance.
- Hi-Q Cape Town, a Goodyear South Africa franchised dealership, held a car care clinic for female drivers. The clinic gave the women the opportunity to learn and practice emergency techniques to use in the event of an engine failure or flat tire. Also focusing on female drivers, Goodyear held a "Safe Driving Experience" program in the Netherlands. With the use of a closed test track, attendees learned about tire performance and safe-driving practices.
- With a focus on inexperienced drivers, Goodyear held "Young Drivers' Day" at the test track in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, where attendees learned how to behave in emergency situations.
- Building on their Safety Kindergarten project, through which more than 40,000 reflective vests have been donated to schools across Slovenia, Goodyear Dunlop Sava Tires initiated a Goodyear Safety Ambassador program. The program recognizes participants who have worked to improve road safety for children.
- After a road safety survey showed that drivers are unprepared to safely travel to their summer vacation destinations, Goodyear Dunlop Europe launched the "Leave Prepared, Arrive Safe" campaign. The campaign educated drivers on subjects such as preparing your vehicle for a long car ride and traveling safely with children.
- Goodyear's "Women with Drive" program continued again this year in several countries. Workshops to educate women drivers on basic car and tire troubleshooting and maintenance were held in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Australia.
- In collaboration with HELP University and the Road Safety Department of the Ministry of Transport, Goodyear Malaysia launched "Driving is a No Phone Zone" campaign to promote safety among 10,000 students.
- In Spain, Goodyear worked collaboratively with the Spanish Auto Club and the city Santiago de Compostela to launch a campaign focusing on the safety of schoolchildren as they walk or are transported to school.
- In South Africa, the children of SOS Village Kindergarten in Port Elizabeth had fun and learned important safety facts at a traffic safety day sponsored by Goodyear.
- In Akron, Goodyear continued a public service announcement (PSA) radio campaign focusing on drivers, pedestrians and school students during the summer and back-to-school seasons. The PSAs for drivers remind them to check their tire air pressure, obey traffic laws and watch for children playing near the road or walking to or from school. Other PSAs remind students to obey pedestrian signals and safety rules while out on the streets, and cyclists to wear bike helmets, as their use can dramatically reduce head injuries.
- Goodyear continued its Child Passenger Safety Seat program in collaboration with Akron Children's Hospital and Safe Kids Summit County. The program provides affordable infant car seats to parents who otherwise may not be able to afford them.
- During National Tire Safety Week in the United States, Goodyear promoted tire care through several initiatives. Goodyear outlets distributed "Be Tire Smart, Play Your PART," a consumer booklet from the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) that stresses the importance of proper tire care. In addition, visitors to goodyear.com could find extensive information on tire care and product selection, while the Goodyear blimp fleet shared tire care messages with their lighted message boards.
- Goodyear's Highway Hero program continues to recognize truck drivers who embody the ideals of selflessness and courage. Created in 1983 in the United States, the program has expanded to other countries, including Germany, New Zealand, the Philippines and Vietnam. It acknowledges the often unnoticed, life-saving rescues and roadside assistance provided by professional and private truck drivers as they encounter motorists in need, such as the Highway Hero in the United States who pulled a car driver from his vehicle moments before it was hit by a train. Whatever the situation may be, the recipients of this award put their lives in harm's way to rescue strangers, and they have earned the right to be called heroes.
