Pipeline &
Gas Journal
December issue 1999:
Job-Related Injuries Declines
Yankee Gas Aggressively
Targets Employees’ Safety
by Richard Tucker, Safety Administrator,
Yankee Gas Services Company, Meriden, Connecticut
What’s in it for me? How will this affect my quality of life —at work and at home? That’s the premise of a successful safety program at Yankee Gas Services Company that has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of job-related injuries among employees over the past two years. Yankee’s safety program, recognized within the natural gas industry and the business community, is credited with helping the company achieve one of the lowest incidence rates in the country among companies of similar size. And it’s on course to record further reductions this/next year.
Yankee’s approach to safety puts the success or failure of the program in the hands of employees - they have a stake in the process and they’re given the tools to understand the impact that good safety practices have on their lives and their livelihood. Only when employees internalize the message that their quality of life is maintained or improved if they’re not injured, do they become motivated and change their behaviors. The process is ongoing and the culture change was slow, but the statistics support the approach.
During 1998, Yankee Gas employees recorded the fewest job-related injuries and illnesses in company history, meeting or exceeding all safety goals. In addition, the company experienced a 50 percent decline in lost time injuries over fiscal 1997 and a continued drop in the number of medical treatment cases. These numbers reflect the lowest level Yankee Gas has ever experienced of personal injury and medial treatment rates. Consequently, there was a 38 percent drop in the number of workers’ compensation costs over the previous year.
Behavior is the cause of about 85 percent of all accidents and injuries at Yankee Gas, Connecticut’s largest natural gas distribution company. Changing behaviors and attitudes has been a slow, gradual process that included helping employees understand that only one-third of their day is spent on the job and if they leave work with an injury, it will affect their quality of life on and off the job.
Field employees at Yankee Gas have the most to gain from this safety program, since they experience the most accidents (approximately 98 percent of all accidents) compared to other employees. These employees perform most of the actual engineering, planning, construction, maintenance and service that keep Yankee’s distribution system running. So, it is the absence of these employees that affects the operation of the company most significantly.
Yankee’s safety program emphasizes active participation, cooperation and commitment between employees and management. Yankee executives are frequently in the field auditing job sites and talking with employees one-on-one in small groups. The program also includes safety committees chaired by employees, weekly departmental safety meetings and quarterly progress meetings at all work centers, and input from employees on everything from choosing new safety equipment to evaluating job hazards. As a result, we’ve been able to identify and resolve more issues affecting the health and well-being of employees.
The success of the partnership relied on building trusting relationships between union leaders, employees, and management. Yankee’s two union locals have worked closely with the Safety Department and local area management to reduce on-the-job accidents and injuries. The approach emphasizes the responsibility of each employee for his or her own safety and the safety of coworkers. The program was designed to help them understand the impact an injury has on their whole life. For example, a back injury can sideline an employee from work but can also limit activities at home.
Training is a major part of the program and is continually updated to keep it fresh and informative. For example, employees are shown how their bodies work. Using a life-size plastic model of a spine, they learn the proper way to use their back. Other props, tapes, CD-ROMs, case histories and testimonials are also employed in the training process. Several measures have also been put in place to help employees achieve these safety goals, including an emergency hotline to the Safety Department; increased field presence by safety personnel; an aggressive return-to-work policy; field safety audits conducted by executive management; incorporation of safety performance in job performance reviews; and, a safety recognition program that rewards the practice of good safety habits.
Yankee believes that safety is a holistic issue, making it important to reach out to employees’ families as well. If an employee is injured at home, the effect is the same on their life and on the company. Likewise if a family member is seriously hurt the employee may be distracted at work, causing an unsafe environment for themselves and others. To that end, Yankee offers programs that run the gamut from safety poster contests for children to guest speakers or providing information on issues ranging from the importance of early detection for cancer to the proper use of a ladder at home.
The bottom line for Yankee and its employees and their families is that an aggressive approach to promoting safety means employees can enjoy a better quality of life, free from disabling injury. For the company, that has translated into cost savings and safety-conscious employees. P&GJ
Yankee Gas serves 185,000 customers in 69 cities and towns.