Health and safety
What is the UAW approach to improving health and safety in the auto industry?
The UAW believes the best way to prevent injuries and illnesses on the job is to provide workers with information about hazards and procedures to get these hazards corrected. An educated, empowered worker who has the right to act on what he or she knows is the best line of defense against workplace hazards.
We focus on the principle of “fix the work, not the worker.” That means reducing indoor pollution instead of handing out respirators; reducing the use of toxic chemicals instead of treating people after they get sick, and changing the design of jobs to eliminate strains, sprains and heavy lifting instead of passing out back braces.
Is there evidence this approach is effective?
Yes. Since 1994 – the year after the UAW negotiated new ergonomics programs at Chrysler, Ford and GM – total injuries and illnesses have been reduced dramatically in UAW-represented sectors of the auto industry.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of illnesses and injuries has been reduced since 1994 by 38.9 percent in motor vehicle assembly; by 38.6 percent in automotive stamping, and by 38.4 percent in vehicle parts manufacturing. These are the sectors of industry in which UAW membership is at its highest density.
Injuries and illnesses in the U.S. automotive industry, 1994-2005 Annual rate of total recordable injuries/illnesses per 100 full-time workers
It is our members in Chrysler, Ford and General Motors plants who are setting the bar for safety standards for the entire industry. At one major auto manufacturer, our members helped achieve an injury rate in 2005 that was 78 percent below the industry average, establishing a world-class benchmark.
Fatality rates in the auto industry, already about one-third of the national average, also have fallen significantly since 1973. This was accomplished by focusing on high-risk activities of the skilled trades and powered industrial vehicle operations. Any fatality, however, is unacceptable. No UAW member, no salaried worker, no manager and no company executive can afford to be complacent about the health and well-being of workers in the auto industry, inside or outside UAW bargaining units.
Achieving the highest possible standards of workplace safety is an ongoing challenge, due to the severe underlying dangers of the highly mechanized and severely compressed production processes in foundries, stamping-fabrication plants, machining operations and vehicle assembly plants. Vehicle assembly in particular poses very difficult ergonomic challenges.
What kind of members’ rights have helped lead to these reductions?
UAW members have rights to information and receive extensive jointly developed health and safety training on key issues like chemical hazards, energy lockout, powered industrial vehicles and ergonomics, and the negotiated programs to control these hazards. Hourly workers and management counterparts typically deliver this training.
UAW labor agreements specify that members are provided medical exams and tests, and their exposure to chemicals are monitored. In addition, they have access to examination and test results, and ergonomic and safety hazards are evaluated periodically. Members can call for evaluation of specific problems on their jobs, including perceived imminent dangers. Failing resolution, members have access to a health and safety complaint and grievance procedure.
What kinds of health and safety activities take place as a result of UAW-negotiated contracts?
UAW members have negotiated company funding of full-time union health and safety representatives who work in union-represented auto plants to monitor workplace hazards and prevent illnesses and injuries. They inspect the facility for safety hazards, evaluate ergonomic risk factors and take or observe the collection of air samples for chemical exposures. They receive jointly developed training in their technical areas at least annually.
In addition, UAW contracts mandate joint national committees on health and safety at Chrysler, Ford and GM, which meet at regular intervals so that union and management can evaluate hazards and take necessary actions to improve workplace conditions.
