OREANDA-NEWS.  February 17, 2012. Severstal North America is pleased to announce a Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) safety award the company received for Zero Lost Time Accidents (LTA) at its Columbus, Mississippi facility.  “Companies continue to create innovative methods to improve and implement safety procedures. Severstal Columbus is recognized for showing exemplary performance for having zero lost time accidents,” said Thomas Danjczek, President of SMA.

Severstal North America demonstrated a marked improvement in the Safety Recordable Rate in 2011, which was reduced by 42% at its Dearborn, Michigan facility and by 24% at Columbus.  At Dearborn, the LTA incidence rate was reduced by of 15%, while Columbus saw zero LTAs. The company is certified to the OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 standards.

“We have undertaken a fundamental change in our approach to safety which is part of a global initiative at Severstal, including performing significant audits, clearly defining roles and responsibilities in our health and safety management system, and emphasizing the use of personal protective equipment. We have also initiated a significant amount of safety training at both facilities,” stated Mel Baggett, Vice President of Human Resources, Severstal North America. “We are anticipating that all of these initiatives, combined with the drive and dedication of our employees and management to further advance our safety performance, will lead us to our ultimate goal of zero injuries.”