Pratt & Whitney
East Hartford, CT
Manufacturer of jet engines
41,600 employees | 140 sites | 200 EHS professionals
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At Pratt & Whitney, a division of industrial conglomerate United Technologies Corp., the first in the list of company values is “start with safety.” P&W’s approach to workplace safety in built on three principles:
● Health and safety is a responsibility shared by all employees—from senior leadership to factory floor workers to employees at remote worksites.
● Workplace safety requires continuous discipline and focus.
● Leading indicators focus attention on where risks can emerge over time, helping the company eliminate workplace hazards to protectively avoid injuries.
For the past 10 years P&W has utilized a “near-hit” reporting tool for employees. According to Erin O’Neill, sustainability specialist, that tool was recently expanded and standardized globally. The tool, known as RIDII (Report It, Don’t Ignore It) now includes reporting for hazards—any situation that could lead to an injury or environmental issue if left uncorrected.
“All employees on the factory floor or in field installations and repairs are trained in workplace health and safety policies and procedures,” O’Neill explains, “and each is responsible to report potential workplace hazards and unsafe conditions.” In addition, all major manufacturing sites now have cross-functional health and safety committees, which coordinate EHS initiatives at the local levels.
EHS professionals at each P&W site report directly to site leadership, which in turn reports to the central EHS team, which provides major policy guidance and oversight. “This structure reinforces management’s responsibility for safety and positions EHS leadership on site as a part of the site manager’s team,” O’Neill says.
P&W’s occupational health and safety program addresses these elements: laceration prevention; machine safeguarding; slips, trips and falls; ergonomics; health & wellness promotion; and industrial hygiene.
“Our leaders understand that employees can’t be at their best if they’re not healthy and well rested,” O’Neill points out. “That’s the business case for EHS.”
The company’s EHS programs also benefit from P&W’s intense focus on product safety as part of the aerospace industry. “Employees understand that our enterprise depends on the safety of our people and the safety of our products,” she says.
