United States Steel Corporation president and CEO David B. Burritt recently announced several highlights of the company’s 2019 safety performance. In addition, Burritt recognized the United Steelworkers (USW) for their partnership in driving floor-level engagement activities and ensuring a safe working environment.

Highlights of U. S. Steel’s 2019 safety performance include exceptional year-over-year improvements as well as an internal record in its Days Away From Work case rate. The company finished the year with an OSHA “Days Away” rate of 0.10, which is seven times better that the industry average reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Notably, U. S. Steel’s Tubular Operations and U. S. Steel Košice each completed the year with zero Days Away From Work cases, while other facilities substantially improved their year-over-year performance to exceed safety targets. U. S. Steel also improved its Total OSHA Recordable injury rate, which was nearly three times better than the BLS industry average of 2.7.

“U. S. Steel coined the term ‘Safety First’ in 1912, and safety remains our primary core value today. Every employee who works in one of our facilities has the right to return home safely at the end of every day, and I am grateful to all of our employees for the extraordinary safety performance in 2019,” says Burritt. “I would like to thank the United Steelworkers for their leadership in this effort, which brings us ever closer to achieving our ultimate goal of zero injuries company-wide.”

“We are proud to partner with U.S. Steel to ensure that every steelworker has the safe workplace they deserve,” says Thomas M. Conway, president of the United Steelworkers. “The company’s 2019 safety record proves that the cooperative efforts of the USW and U. S. Steel are working, and we hope to continue this positive trajectory in 2020 and for years to come.”