The Bridgestone Safety Mission seeks to promote the health and safety of all employees, complying with the law and with the bylaws established for each workplace.
The company has a variety of mechanisms that it utilizes to preserve and guarantee that the operation at each Bridgestone work center complies with the highest safety standards. These include different committees that support risk management and evaluation activities, as well as training, events, drills, and even initiatives that involve the employees’ family members, thus nurturing a culture of safety at all levels, both inside and outside of the workplace.
Through medical assistance and the promotion of a healthy life style, Bridgestone Mexico contributes to the achievement of the SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Health and Safety Committees
The existence of occupational health and safety committees is considered a key management mechanism for these issues that are fundamental to Bridgestone Mexico.
The following committees are present in each plant:
Bridgestone Mexico has formal joint Health and Safety Committees that are responsible for following up the health and safety indicators on these topics. Employees of the organization compose such committees.
Cuernavaca plant reported 20 accidents in 2017,one less than in 2016.The rate of working lost days was 27.51 for men and 0 for women. Absenteeism was reported at 4%, which is 5% lower than the rate reported in 2016.
Three accidents were reported at the Bandag Tire- Retread plant, representing an increase over 2016, when the plant had one accident. The rate of working lost days was 187.19 for men and 0 for women. The registered absenteeism rate was 0.28%; that is, 97% lower than the rate reported in 2016.
Awareness Programs
Bridgestone Mexico is aligned with internal and external rules and regulations in order to reinforce the principles of employee safety and protection. It also conducts relevant activities to raise awareness through initiatives that promote a safe work environment. In 2017, Bridgestone Mexico carried out the following activities:
Safety Campaigns
The company ran several campaigns to raise awareness about safety and security issues among all staff. Some of the campaign themes included: “The rule of three meters between pedestrians and industrial vehicles”, “the Frank Bird accident prevention pyramid”, and “The eight plant safety rules”, among others.
“Safety and the Bridgestone Family” videos
This strategy allows employees to focus on the value of making it home after work by showing pictures of their family members, stressing that safety starts with oneself and that it is everyone’s responsibility.
Talks, brochures, and news bulletins
The basic rules of fire prevention, rules of use and driving forklifts, work gymnastics and safety projects, were distributed among all team members through these simple and graphic means.
SOLVE Workshop
This workshop was carried out in a joint effort with the Secretariat of Labor and Social Security (STPS) and with the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (CANACINTRA). It was based on the psychosocial risks found in the work environment, thus promoting a safety culture and compliance with the goals set on the subject matter.
Drills and brigades
In 2017, 64 drills were conducted in an effort to strengthen the capacity to react to different types of situations, both at the Cuernavaca and Bandag manufacturing facilities.
These actions are part of the Internal Civil Protection Program. The situations covered by these drills include:
• Evacuation due to earthquakes.
• Fire with the deployment of brigades and their equipment.
• Entrapment, rescue, and first aid.
• Emergencies with firefighters.
• Mill drills.
• Hot Mix Drill.
The drills and responses to these types of situations would not be possible without the work and preparation of the Bridgestone Mexico brigades. In 2017, the company formed and strengthened the following brigades:
• Evacuation brigade.
• Communication brigade.
• First Aid brigade.
• Firefighting brigade.
• Search and rescue brigade.
In order to consolidate this Internal Civil Protection Program and comply with the requirements stipulated by the corresponding authority—the State Civil Protection Coordination Office—Bridgestone Mexico provided the evidence requested to verify that it operates in accordance with the law and has the necessary prevention measures in place.
Some of the evidence included in this delivery featured the maintenance program, the directory of external aid organizations, the training calendar, and the drills program with a script and the scheduled chronology, among others.
Safety strategy
The safety strategy proposed by Bridgestone Mexico is based on a series of specific actions entitled my Safety Line 4+3=0 (four pillars + three solid bases equal to zero accidents). The tools comprising this strategy serve to observe people’s behavior and risks inside the plant, obtaining a diagnosis that strengthens the prevention base.
These coaching tools include:
• The Friend Helping a Friend Methodology (AAA) that is used to provide feedback on the behavior observed
• PIT Coaching (industrial vehicles).
• PED Coaching (pedestrians).
• 3S Coaching (selection, order, and cleaning).
• LOTO Coaching (blocking of power sources).
• Safety warnings (unsafe conditions and/or behaviors).
In 2017, this strategy began with the management base and will be gradually rolled out by stages to all employees.
Formal Agreements with the Trade Union
Bridgestone Mexico includes occupational health and safety issues in its internal policies. In addition to this, the organization has also addressed certain issues on the subject matter through formal agreements with the union, in an effort to strengthen its commitment and the execution of said agreements.
These issues include compliance with the International Labor Organization (ILO) standards, personal protective equipment, joint health and safety committees for both management and employees, the participation of workers’ representatives in inspections, audits and accident investigations related to health and safety, training and education, as well as the complaints reporting mechanism, and periodic inspections.
Information about accidents within the organization is key to ensuring compliance with the regulatory system in this regard. The company adheres to the current version of Official Mexican Standard 021 issued by the Secretariat of Labor and Social Security (STPS). In addition, and as an internal requirement, it adheres to the company’s Injury/ Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting rules.