It is the intention of OSHA to propose and adopt a safety and health program rule for general industry. Internationally there is activity along the same lines with several programs in various stages of development. It was felt within our company that, regardless of outside regulatory influences, the development and implementation of safety and health process management plans is the correct way to manage our safety and health processes at each location.
The elements of the Corning Plan were selected after reviewing the Federal OSHA draft rule, currently required State OSHA safety and health management plans, the AIHA. Occupational Health and Safety Management System. guidance document, and other sources of safety and health management plan information, both nationally and internationally. Pilot management plan development began in selected facilities in mid-1998. Development in other locations was begun in 1999 and the process was communicated to European Corning entities participating in our European Safety and Health Conference in early 1999. It is an ongoing process with the primary driver being that it is a corporate requirement for each Corning Incorporated facility to develop and implement a comprehensive safety and health process management plan. Benefits include the provision of process stability and direction in the midst of change, presence of a positive element in the event of regulatory agency inspections, positioning for the future (ISO, global business, etc.,), and an increased understanding of the safety and health process by all employees.
One of the most significant potential impacts on the development, implementation and ongoing effectiveness of a safety and health process management plan is change. Management personnel, goals and objectives, organized and unorganized labor expectations, manufacturing processes, technology, production levels, national and international regulatory requirements, staffing levels and a multitude of other elements are subject to change and, typically do change, in relatively short time frames.
It is possible, with a properly designed and documented safety and health management plan, to establish a suitable framework for continued success in the midst of an ever-changing environment. Plan documentation, coupled with periodic review and revision by appropriate facility personnel, enhances the probability of instituting a successful ongoing loss control process. If the plan is not documented, it is much less likely to be a successful in its implementation.
It is critical, when developing and implementing the safety and health process management plan, to understand corporate and facility cultures into which the plan will be introduced. It is unwise to attempt the implementation of a plan that does not draw strength and support from the culture that surrounds it.
Corning Incorporated's Values are the framework within which our other culture systems reside. Our Values are:
Quality;
Integrity;
Performance;
Leadership;
Innovation;
Independence; and,
The individual.
