SAFETY HEADLINESSafety
ArcelorMittal Leads by Example on Health and Safety Day
May 3, 2010 ArcelorMittal recently held its fourth annual Health and Safety Day, the theme for this year's event being “Leading by Example.” The company notes that this theme reflects its ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standards of employee health and safety.
Coinciding with the International Labor Organization's World Day for Health and Safety at Work, ArcelorMittal's 2010 Health and Safety Day provides an opportunity for employees and contractors from across the company's global network to share best practices and reaffirm their commitment to ArcelorMittal's “Journey to Zero” continuous improvement program. Workshops focus on core themes, including correct nutrition and health at work, traffic risks and rules, firefighting, and the importance of shared vigilance.
In 2009, the amount of working hours lost due to injury across the company's mining and steelmaking operations fell to 1.9 incidents per million hours worked, compared with 2.5 incidents per million hours worked in 2008.
"ArcelorMittal's mission is simple: We are committed to becoming the safest steelmaker in the world. As such, we regard Health and Safety Day as being one of the most important annual events in our company's calendar," said Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ArcelorMittal. "Industry is only now emerging from the most serious economic recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. With productivity slowly starting to increase towards pre-crisis levels, now is the ideal time to reiterate our number one priority—the wellbeing of employees, regardless of their level within the company."