L3Harris’ Largest Site Hits One Million Accident-Free Work Hours

“This is an incredible milestone that only could have been reached by the belief that safety is our first priority,” Green said. “It means we do the right thing. We strive to get better and look out for each other along the way.”

The achievement is significant, especially since it occurred in Greenville, home to one of the largest manufacturing operations in Texas. Most of the million hours were worked in touch labor environments that can be dangerous due to the nature of work. The variety of work also provides a variety of risks, with no “one-size fits all” solution.

“As an operations team, our true north for safety is based on zero injuries,” said Robert Kirsch, Vice President for Operations for the Integrated Mission Systems segment. “The site leadership has made it a priority, and ultimately those who work each day in manufacturing roles deserve credit for contributing ideas, paying attention and stopping unsafe practices before they begin.”

The site prioritized safety as a core value in manufacturing through communication and by example.

The continual conversations and actions regarding safety has led to an increased safety focus across the board. Now, employees say they don’t want to be the one who “resets the clock,” which increases the level of safety awareness further.

“By taking time to record these concerns and reacting faster and more thoroughly than in the past, there was a level of notice and buy-in from employees that this was more than just noise,” said Craig Driggers, Director of Operations Management. “We also gained engagement by involving the employees in the corrective actions.”

The involvement of leadership, manufacturing, engineering, facilities and environmental, health and safety teams further demonstrated there was support for a zero injury approach.

“The real accomplishment here, which is still certainly a work in progress, is the cultural shift that was necessary to reach this milestone,” said Driggers.