Case Study: UPS
United Parcel Service (UPS) is the winner of the 2005 Optimas Award for Innovation for significantly improving their safety record and decreasing turnover. The UPS safety program beganin 1996. At which time injuries were reported at a rate of 27.2 per 200,000 hours worked. In 2004 the company reported an injury rate of 10.2 for every 200,000 hours worked.

UPS has crafted a culture of safety within the organization. Managers and employees make up committees that investigate accidents and facility and equipment audits. If committee members see someone working in an unsafe capacity, they are required to approach the employee or face reprimand themselves.

“Most people react to it [the safety program] in a positive way,’ says Alberto Ruiz, who works in the UPS facility in Richmond, California.  ‘Five years ago, maybe it wasn’t like that, but now it is part of our culture. They know we are working in their best interest.’”

Source: Workforce Management, March 2005, pp. 44-50