There was nothing remarkable about Oct 17 in Mercury Marine's Plant 15, and it was that very fact that made the day extraordinary.
On that day, Mercury Marine's main outboard assembly facility surpassed 2 million hours worked without a lost-time incident, a safety milestone rarely achieved in the world of manufacturing. The accomplishment will be celebrated by all three shifts at the plant Nov. 8, with employees receiving recognition from Mercury Marine President Patrick C. Mackey, Outboard Business Unit President Mark Schwabero, Vice President of Outboard Manufacturing David Michaelson, Vice President of Human Resources Dennis Rooney and Plant Manager Kirk Cowell. Safety Manager Scott Wooldridge and International Association of Machinists Local 1947 President Mark Zillges will also take part in the event.
The tally of 2 million hours includes time worked by all Mercury employees in Plant 15. The facility is staffed by about 1,175 people, hourly and salaried, union and non-union. Plant 15 reached the 1 million mark on May 15, 2005.
A lost-time incident, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is an occupational injury or illness that results in an employee being released from work by a physician.
To put Mercury's 2 million hours in perspective, a company made up of 100 employees would have to maintain an incident-free record for a full decade to accomplish the feat.
A renewed commitment to safety was one of the primary initiatives mandated by Mackey when he became company president in 2000, and every employee has since been tasked with achieving zero lost-time incidents. In manufacturing, lost-time incidents are measured by the number per 200,000 hours worked, which is roughly equal to the number of hours put in by 100 workers in a year. In 2003, the rate for all of Mercury Marine was 1.4. In 2004 the rate was 1.1, and the rate for 2005 stands at a world-class .8 lost-time incidents per 200,000 hours.
Mercury leaders point to Plant 15 in Fond du Lac as an example of what is possible.
"It's not surprising when you tap into the creativity of the total workforce what can be accomplished," said Michaelson. "Everyone wants a safe work environment, which helps us drive continual improvement in the design, manufacture and delivery of our products and services so we exceed our customers' expectations.
"While this is an outstanding milestone, we look forward to an incident-free work environment, because that means we are truly protecting our most important resource, our people."
Mercury Marine is a division of Brunswick Corporation.
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation endeavors to instill "Genuine Ingenuity"TM in all its leading consumer brands, including Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Teignbridge propellers; MotoTron electronic controls; Northstar marine electronics; Navman marine and GPS-based products; IDS dealer management systems; Albemarle, Arvor, Baja, Bayliner, Bermuda, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, HarrisKayot, Hatteras, Lowe, Lund, Maxum, Meridian, Ornvik, Palmetto, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Savage, Sea Boss, Sea Pro, Sea Ray, Sealine, Triton, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Attwood marine parts and accessories; Land 'N' Sea and Kellogg marine parts and accessories distributor; Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and ParaBody fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; Brunswick billiards tables; and Valley-Dynamo pool, Air Hockey and foosball tables.
For more information, visit www.brunswick.com.