Get Flash to see this player.
At ITW, we believe strongly in the health and safety of our employees, and value the trust that our shareholders have placed in us. High ethical standards, backed by clear and firm governance policies, are part of why we’ve remained financially sound and strong for nearly 100 years—even during periods of slow economic growth or market fluctuations.
Participation in ITW’s free employee wellness program increased in 2010. Over 10,000 employees took advantage of the program’s free, on-site biometric health screenings and other resources. Combined with employees who pursued a physician screening based on these tools, almost two thirds of ITW employees took steps toward improving their health in 2010.
The program was also updated with an expanded portal to give employees enhanced access to healthcare information and a toolkit to give wellness “champions” at our business units the means to initiate local programs. A few of the programs at ITW businesses represent our emphasis on employee health:
Recognizing that the international legal landscape has become increasingly more complex, in 2010 we strengthened our Statement of Principles of Conduct, an internal set of standards and principles of behavior that apply to all ITW operations, divisions and subsidiaries—no matter where in the world they are located. Our new Anti-Corruption Policy supplements our Statement of Principles of Conduct and provides detailed guidance to our employees on what actions are prohibited under anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. In 2010, we also adopted two new policies—one that prohibits our key employees from hedging the risk of ownership in ITW stock and another that provides for the recovery of incentive compensation payments from our senior officers in the event of an accounting restatement (whether or not based on misconduct) due to material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements.
Our Statement of Principles of Conduct details the requirements that all of our businesses must follow regarding employee health and safety.
Like many of ITW’s North American business units, Traulsen, a foodservice refrigeration business in Fort Worth, Texas, offers a voluntary wellness program that includes on-site biometric screenings (such as cholesterol and blood pressure) and online personal health assessments. Traulsen also has one of ITW’s most diverse staffs, with 300 men and women from over 17 different countries speaking Spanish, Vietnamese, Croatian, and other languages. Most employees have limited English skills, have never used a computer or the Internet, and face cultural barriers to sharing personal health information.
Not content to let the wellness tools go unused—and risk losing opportunities to improve employee health—a dedicated group of human resources professionals worked hands-on, for many weeks, to bring employees into the wellness program. They delivered informal talks directly on the shop floor, translated the survey format, and set up computer kiosks for one-on-one sessions. The HR wellness team became trainers and educators, not just benefit and employee relations experts. And being bilingual themselves, they were able to communicate with employees and address concerns with sensitivity.
By 2010, Traulsen achieved 77 percent participation despite their unique challenges. Traulsen has supplemented its efforts to get the wellness program off the ground by recruiting wellness “champions” throughout the business unit and establishing walking groups and outdoor recreational sports. Given the known connection between good employee health and workplace safety, Traulsen has incorporated wellness elements into its safety plans as well as other internal initiatives like its United Way campaign, sustainability, and diversity efforts.
Pictured above:
Ana Flores Senior Human Resources Specialist
Mai Nguyen Personnel Coordinator II
Andres Bolivar Employee Relations Manager
A commitment to quality high-performing tools, made with integrity, is one of ITW’s core values. But rarely has it been tested by situations as extreme as the mine collapse of August 2010 in San Jose, Chile. It took 17 days to locate 33 trapped miners, using drilling rigs that bored 5½ inch holes 2,300 feet deep.
A large rig, nicknamed “the miracle,” bored the 28-inch hole that was used to pull the miners to safety. It was mounted on a custom-built, heavy-duty truck chassis manufactured by ITW’s Crane Carrier Company. The widening process began September 5, and with zero downtime attributed to the truck and Crane chassis, drilling was complete by October 9. All 33 miners were returned to safety.
