Providing Safe Working Conditions

"Our commitment to safety is unconditional," Owens Corning declared in 2003. The company's philosophy holds that all accidents are preventable, safety is everyone's responsibility and working safely is a condition of employment, with a clear goal of zero injuries. Since then, the company's recordable incidence rate (RIR) has been reduced by more than 77 percent.

In 2008, the company's RIR was 0.88, a 36 percent decrease from the 2007 rate of 1.37 representing nearly 100 fewer injuries. Exactly half of the company's 124 facilities went the entire year without a recordable injury. There were no fatalities in 2008.

Owens Corning also uses a leading indicator metric to measure our progress in establishing the presence of safety called S.A.F.E. – Safety Assessment for Effectiveness. This tool measures improvements in our safety management systems. In 2008, our S.A.F.E. score improved from 64 to 80.

Eleven safety professionals and employees were recognized in 2008 through an annual award program that honors those who consistently live the Owens Corning safety stand and provide leadership that makes a difference in safety. Fifty employees were nominated for the awards.

In November 2007, Owens Corning acquired the reinforcements and fabrics businesses of Saint-Gobain. This move shifted our employee demographics and today more than 50 percent of our employees live and work outside of the U.S. Much of our focus in 2008 was on sharing our unconditional commitment to safety with new colleagues around the world. Through leadership meetings, training and site visits across businesses, continents and countries, we have become one company when it comes to safety.

The Company has yet to attain its ultimate goal of zero injuries. For 2009, the company has identified six critical safety areas of focus to ensure reductions in the severity and frequency of injuries. The specific safety areas that will help the company to continue it's improvements in safety are: lock tag try, confined space, machine guarding, lift trucks, fall protection and automobile safety.

¹RIR – Recordable Incidence Rate as defined by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics