As of June 2, GUC reached 1 million hours worked without a lost workday due to injury, which is equivalent to 411 days straight.
Safety Culture Specialist Kelly Smith said, “One million hours is certainly worth celebrating, especially because this is the 10th time GUC has reached such a milestone. But what makes me most proud is what those hours represent – thousands of everyday decisions by employees to speak up, manage exposures, make thoughtful adjustments, and genuinely look out for one another.”
This milestone reflects the action of employees across GUC who engage in safety conversations, participate in job safety briefings, recognize changing conditions, and take steps to control exposures for themselves and others.
Kelly said, “Our employees are the ones doing the work, making decisions in the moment, and looking out for the people beside them. Every time someone raises a concern, pauses to reassess a task, uses a Job Pause, or helps a co-worker recognize an exposure, they contribute to a safe workplace.”
GUC continues working to support employees through expanded equipment training opportunities, structured leadership training and coaching, and improvements made through Lighthouse and our safety governance teams (Departmental Safety Teams, CSI Program and Executive Teams). These efforts are intended to remove barriers, clarify expectations, and help employees – including leaders – have more effective safety conversations.
Leaders play an important role in creating an environment where employees feel secure and confident enough to speak up about concerns, report close calls, and stop work when conditions are not safe. “Safety isn’t created by one program or one department,” Kelly said. "It becomes part of who we are when people across GUC internalize it as a shared value and carry it into every job, every conversation, and every decision.”
In a memo released by the General Manager’s Office, General Manager/CEO Tony Cannon praised the work it took to achieve the 1 million hours milestone.
“Over the past few years, we have listened to [employee] concerns and feedback and made changes to how our safety program is run. Our CSI teams have removed several barriers and put new processes in place to remove exposures and keep every employee safe from injuries. But it is truly the effort of [everyone] doing [their] very best to look out for each other every day that really makes a difference in our successes,” Tony said.
Click here to learn more about the new close call reporting process.
