Williams International raises bar on safety performance

Williams International was consistently maintaining an above-average worker health and safety record; however, that wasn't good enough for the aerospace manufacturer. Williams International knew it was time for dramatic action if it was to become a leader in worker safety.

In January 2006, Williams International and O/E Learning Inc. (O/E), a training and performance improvement company, began a year-long undertaking to implement the SafetyIMPACT! program to transform Williams from being above average to world class in health and safety.

SafetyIMPACT! is a culture-based Health and Safety system that builds on the beliefs and practices of the world's safest companies. From benchmarking these companies, O/E distilled what it learned down to four common practices. These practices are: safety inspections, hazard investigations, safety strategy development and safety workshops. These practices grew out of six values:

  1. All injuries are preventable.

  2. Safety begins with compliance.

  3. Prevention is more valuable than correction.

  4. Safety is everyone's job.

  5. Safety is a strategic business element.

  6. Safety is owned by operations.

Phil LaDuke, a SafetyIMPACT! coach, states, "Williams International showed remarkable vision in implementing SafetyIMPACT! The leadership at Williams viewed the injury of any worker as a significant problem."

Williams International is the world leader in the development, manufacture and support of small gas turbine engines. The privately owned company is headquartered in Walled Lake, Mich. A second facility, located in Ogden, Utah, is the most modern and efficient gas turbine design-to-production facility in the world. Williams continues to expand its development, test, production, product support and customer service capabilities at both facilities. The result has been a steady well-planned growth since 1955 into a large, versatile organization.

O/E Learning, established in 1984, designs and develops new training and performance improvement programs, as well as converts existing programs to different forms of delivery including Web-based, instructor-led, virtual classroom, CD/DVD and mobile devices. O/E's diverse services range from organizational development initiatives to professional certifications in safety, quality and employee involvement. The privately held company is headquartered in Troy, Mich.