Maintaining a safe working environment is everything at Cottonera: safety is more than a priority; it is the way we work on the job and the way we behave at home. The Cottonera team understands that Safety cannot be a program instituted by management and followed by the employees, rather it must be a culture that is committed to the philosophy that all accidents both on the job and away from the workplace are preventable. The goal- is zero!
In addition to quality the way we work at Cottonera is to promote a culture of safety by example through set standards, training, communication, teamwork and a vision of zero injuries. We have the finest, most experienced and driven workforce in the industry. Our success depends on their health and well-being. As a company, Cottonera goes to tremendous lengths to protect both. We have a Safety Team that sets the safety agenda for the Company made up of non-management personnel who are responsible for driving both the culture and the Safety program at Cottonera.
Each day begins with a facility-wide meeting which is devoted, in part, to discussing, measuring and brainstorming ways for improving safety. It is also a part of our weekly GEMBA walks as management and employee teams tour the plant, looking for opportunities to improve all our processes while looking for ways to make the workplace safer. As a result, we are able to increase our hours between lost time incidents, which typically average over 238 days.
At the same time, Cottonera is concerned with and involved in our associates well-being. We regularly develop and support company-wide health initiatives to help associates maintain a healthy weight, exercise and take advantage of wellness benefits available through our benefits plan. Cottonera operates as a family, we want our employees to be safe and healthy so that can perform at a high level for the Company and take care of their family away from the workplace. We believe that is one of the reasons why our average worker has been at Cottonera for over 14 years.