Marine
Mercury Marine Celebrates Safety Milestone
FOND DU LAC, Wis. – On Wednesday, June 20 Mercury Marine's Plant 15 – the company's outboard engine assembly and machining plant -- celebrated one million hours without a lost time incident — a feat rarely achieved in the manufacturing industry.
The accomplishment will be celebrated by all three shifts at the plant June 20, with employees receiving recognition from Mercury Marine President Patrick C. Mackey and Vice President of Outboard Manufacturing Rick Estus, among others.
Third-shift employees will be recognized on Wednesday from 3-4 a.m., half of the first-shift employees will be acknowledged from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the other half from noon to 1 p.m. Second-shift workers will celebrate from 8-9 p.m.
The one million hour total includes time worked by all Mercury employees in Plant 15. The facility is staffed by more than 1,100 people, hourly and salaried, union and non-union. Plant 15 reached the one million hour mark in January of 2007.
"Safety is more than a program or a statistic to be tracked, said Mercury Vice President of Manufacturing Rick Estus. "Safety is a state of mind and a culture where everyone in the organization is focused on creating a safe and healthy environment, where everyone cares about each other and works to make sure that no one gets hurt."
With the achievement, Mercury's Plant 15 will be awarded the Brunswick Chairman's Gold Safety award. The award is given to Brunswick Corporation facilities that reach one million hours without a lost time incident. By winning the Brunswick Chairman's Gold Safety award, Plant 15 is entitled to give $10,000 to local charities. Plant 15 has decided to divide the $10,000 equally amongst the following Fond du Lac area charities: Hospice Hope, Kids Kart Club, Boys & Girls Club, the Salvation Army and New Beginning.
A renewed commitment to safety was one of the primary initiatives mandated by Mr. 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.
"This is a very prideful day for Plant 15 and everyone who is associated with this plant's successful run on safety performance," said Mr. Mackey.
A lost-time incident, as defined by the U.S. 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 one million hours in perspective, a company made up of 100 employees would have to maintain an incident-free record for five years to accomplish the feat.
Mercury Marine is the world's leading manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines. A $2.3 billion division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), Mercury and its 6,200 employees worldwide provide engines, boats, services and parts for recreational, commercial and government marine applications. Mercury's industry-leading brand portfolio includes Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Mercury and Teignbridge propellers; MotoTron electronic controls; Mercury inflatable boats; Mercury SmartCraft electronics; and Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils. In 2007, Mercury Marine's OptiMax engine was once again ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Two-Stroke Outboard Engines in a Tie" by J.D. Power and Associates, and Mercury MerCruiser engines were ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Sterndrive Engines" for the second year in a row. More information is available at www.mercurymarine.com.
CONTACT:
Erik Pope
Communications Coordinator
Mercury Marine
Phone: 920-929-5916
Email: erik.pope@mercmarine.com
