The Team concept has given us numerous opportunities for improvements over the past several years with Team members continuing to be recognized and rewarded for their positive efforts and accomplishments. As accomplishments are made, trust and responsibilities increase, and the Team experiences growth, maturity, and the associated rewards.

A part of this growth and maturity must include the realization and acceptance of the Teams responsibility to monitor and enforce Company policies and procedures. As you heard from me in 2000, I will protect those who are complying with and enforcing our requirements, but I have zero tolerance for those who choose not to do so. Along with the rewards for positive efforts, there are also consequences for those who fail to act when circumstances call for action. 

During the year 2000, several ETS employees received disciplinary action as a result of their failure to act and/or ignoring safe work practices. These cases were distributed to all employees in the form of a Safety Bulletin. It has been my intention that we all learn from these instances to make our work place even safer. 

As we publish this first, and hopefully only, Safety Bulletin in 2001, I would like to share with you two instances from last year.

After repeatedly counseling a fellow team member observed violating several safety requirements (including hard hat, safety glasses, FRC), one Team took action, which ultimately resulted in this person being discharged. While this may seem to be a harsh outcome, it is much better than the person injuring themselves, or even worse, a fellow team member. This person had others expressing concern over his well-being and chose to ignore the warnings. Individual team members acted on their responsibility and the team as a whole accepted their accountability.

In the second case, a team member chose to drive a Company vehicle without using a seatbelt. The employee was involved in an accident ejecting him from the vehicle, causing injuries that could have been prevented if the seat belt would have been properly used. This employee is lucky to be alive. Use of seat belts by all occupants of Company vehicles is one of the most basic elements of our program and has been a requirement for over 20 years. As the use of seat belts is habit forming, could this have been the first time the employee failed to use them? Is it possible that other Team members had observed this failure in the past and not acted? Could this have been prevented through positive interaction? Had positive interaction been taken but ignored?

When the Declaration of Interdependence was introduced in 1998, we made the commitment to each other that we would be our Brothers and Sisters Keeper and to remind each other of the need to comply with safety requirements at all times. While some employees may feel uncomfortable enforcing our requirements, that does not relieve the person from their responsibility. Likewise, a Team is responsible and accountable for the actions (or lack of a required action) of each Team member. Each individual team member and the team as a whole are responsible for the outcome and any disciplinary action that management may be required to take.

Please assist us in creating the safest work environment possible.  Our most important personal goal should be to do whatever it takes to arrive home safely each and every night, and should expect nothing less from peers or members of your leadership to hold you accountable for doing just that.