National College Players Association - United Steelworkers

Asafety initiative, unique in the international steelindustry, has reported significant progress in reducingdeaths and in fostering cooperation betweenworkers and management to decrease hazards.The ArcelorMittal Joint Global Health and SafetyCommittee (JGHSC), created just a month before the 2008International Convention, reports that fatalities declined by30 percent in 2009 and 2010 as compared to 2008.“The committee’s work has had a positive impact on thenumber of accidents in the workplace, especially fatalities,and helped to reduce the risk faced by workers,” accordingto the report, which was discussed at the 2011 Convention.The safety committee was created after the USW, theInternational Metalworkers’ Federation and the EuropeanMetalworkers Federation asked Laksmi Mittal, chairmanand CEO of ArcelorMittal, the largest steel company in theworld, to genuinely address safety.“He is interested in and committed to safety,” USWHealth, Safety and Environment Director Mike Wright said,explaining Mittal’s willingness to cooperate.Wright, who serves on the committee, said Mittal hired“superb people to do safety and he agreed that this projectcould not be done without union involvement.”Because of the involvement of the union, the agreementcreating the committee is the only one of its kind in the steelindustry.The committee has visited mills and mines in ninecountries: the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Kazakhstan,Ukraine, Romania, Czech Republic, Argentina and SouthAfrica.The most recent safety review occurred in August at theArcelorMittal LaPlace Steel Plant in New Orleans, La. It followeda melt shop explosion and fatality in February.Local 9121 President and Safety Coordinator KinleyPorter said safety has improved at the mill under ArcelorMittalownership. Before, he said, not a day went by withoutan accident. Still, he said, he would like to see more hourlyworkers involved in safety and more resources devoted to it.At the Louisiana plant, the committee identified severalareas needing improvement, just as it had at other plantsit has reviewed. At LaPlace, the committee said areas thatcould be strengthened include training of workers and38 USW@Work • Fall 2011