Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC announced March 18 that its two manufacturing facilities in Acuña, Mexico, achieved world-class safety levels during 2008, with the Acuña II site achieving an impressive rate of zero recordable work-related accidents for a full year. All Bendix facilities realized very strong safety performance as a result of the company’s comprehensive and proactive safety strategy.
Workplace safety is measured annually by Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR), which is the average number of work-related injuries per 100 workers per year. As a whole, Bendix recorded a 1.04 TCIR for recordable incidents per 100 employees in 2008, which is significantly lower than the industry average of 9.0. The Bendix Acuña I facility achieved a rate of 0.19 in recordable incidents per 100 employees, performance that exceeds the standard measure for a world-class safety rating. The company’s facility in Bowling Green, Ky., improved 58 percent from last year, and the multi-site operations in Huntington, Ind., also improved by 50 percent.
“We’re extremely proud of all of the employees at Bendix who have utilized what they’ve learned in our proactive safety training,” said Maria Gutierrez, Bendix health, safety, and environment manager. “When accidents are avoided, our employees are safer and our operations and bottom line improve.”
Employing a strong, sustained and proactive safety strategy – and tapping into employee knowledge and awareness about hazards – has made Bendix, the North American leader in commercial vehicle safety and braking systems technologies, among the safest in the commercial vehicle industry. Over the years, the company’s safety programs have included auditing to identify unsafe situations and behaviors, behavior-based training, near-miss reporting, and employee safety events to identify areas for improvement. Monthly monitoring of recordable accidents, first aid incidents, and near-misses enables Bendix to detect negative trends and intervene immediately.
Health, safety, and environmental professionals use TCIR as a common method of reporting workplace injuries. Accident and injury statistics are compared across industries and specific measurement periods. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a recordable accident as a workplace injury that requires medical attention beyond first aid.
The accomplishment by the Acuña II location also was notable because the site increased its work hours by 30 percent compared with 2007. The increase came with the addition of compressor machining and assembly operations as a part of production site shifts that were part of the organization’s business unit-focused manufacturing strategy.
Headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, Bendix also has manufacturing operations in Huntington, Ind., Bowling Green, Ky., and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In addition to its manufacturing locations, Bendix also maintains strategic distribution centers in Huntington, Ind.; Sparks, Nev.; Mexico City, Mexico; and Montreal, Canada.
About Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, air brake charging, and control systems and components under the Bendix brand name for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. An industry pioneer, employing more than 2,200 people, Bendix is driven to deliver solutions for improved vehicle performance, safety, and overall operating cost. Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems is headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, with manufacturing plants in Acuña, Mexico; Bowling Green, Ky.; Huntington, Ind.; and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.