Gloucester Engineering Reaches Safety Milestone

Published: December 23, 2013

GLOUCESTER, MA | Gloucester Engineering Co. (GEC) recently surpassed 1,000 days of accident-free operation at its headquarters in Gloucester. This milestone represents the first time the company has gone this length of time accident-free.

In 2011 GEC was acquired by Blue Wolf Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in companies in which effective management of relationships with complex constituencies, such as government and labor, can change organizations and create value. Company says the ownership and management change implemented many initiatives and focused first and foremost on employee safety. Prior to Blue Wolf’s involvement, the company was noted for having bi-weekly incidents that ranged in severity. Today, this isn’t the case.

“This length of safety performance has never happened at Gloucester Engineering,” says Laurent Cros, VP of Aftermarket and Service Operations. “This achievement talks to the professionalism of the union and the relationship between Blue Wolf and Gloucester’s management.”

The management team at Gloucester encourages workers to actively engage in safe practices, says Cros. “Every meeting starts with the safety record,” he says, adding that every procedure and change goes through a safety analysis. Workers are constantly preventing potential hazards by living 5S (a lean method to organize and maintain the workplace) and keeping their work areas and floor neat and tidy.

Weekly audits and safety walk-through keep everyone involved, helping prevent incidents, says Bill Maki, shop floor superintendent. “Topical cuts are a big deal to us, so we wanted to focus our management on stopping that. We have weekly management safety meetings and monthly meetings to discuss safety with our workers. Employee well-being is a top priority.”

“I could not be more pleased or impressed with the achievements and performance of our colleagues and workers regarding safety,” says company president Carl Johnson. “This is a complex manufacturing environment with machines, tools, heavy equipment, and moving parts, all of which present myriad safety challenges. This is truly a remarkable achievement, a world-class performance. And none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for the engagement and efforts of everyone. We’re a team here at GEC, and we do our best to make sure we’re safe.

Johnson adds that the company’s next goal—three years without a lost time accident—is only 85 days away.

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