Safety and Health - Sustainability.ussteel.com
Managing Safety and Health
Protecting the safety and health of our workers is in our DNA, going back to when we coined the term “safety first” well over a century ago. All our employees, including leadership, supervisors and frontline workers, are engaged in promoting safety as a core value. Accountability for the safety of others and striving for a zero-harm workplace are deeply embedded in our culture.
There is no greater indicator of the success of our safety efforts than the fact that we were able to operate all our facilities without a single fatality in 2024.
There is no greater indicator of the success of our safety efforts than the fact that we were able to operate all our facilities without a single fatality in 2024.
A wide range of practices and resources stand behind our ability to maintain a safe workplace in an industry that has historically been considered one of the most hazardous. We empower our employees through ongoing investments in safety training and tools, ensuring they are focused on hazard identification and the use of control measures to eliminate or reduce risk. And we continually refine our safety protocols. Our Safety Management System (SMS), too, is a key element of our safety infrastructure. We launched our first formal SMS in 2019, enabling us to gain safety data that has proven invaluable in identifying opportunities to further advance our safety efforts.
We continued to find ways in 2024 to improve the gathering, analyzing and leveraging of our safety data. We are taking greater advantage of our mobile-phone-based application that allows supervisors to participate in safety conversations in the field and enter safety data on dashboards that are used to monitor plant performance and set targets at a granular level. Our Safety Record keeping System provides a more effective way to track the status of corrective actions from initiation to closure.
Our commitment to safety is evident at every level of our company. Our President and CEO, Dave Burritt, has served on the National Safety Council’s Board of Directors for the past four years, providing leadership, insights and guidance in support of the Council’s mission to eliminate the leading causes of preventable work-related injuries and fatalities. In addition, our Vice President and Chief Safety & Security Officer, Robert Rudge Jr., serves as a Council delegate to assist in formulating position papers and policy statements on safety.
We are quick to share our safety insights with others, and to learn from them as well. We partner with the United Steel workers union on safety practices and programs, and our safety team continually collaborates with the World Steel Association, exchanging information and ideas relating to injury trends, incident reduction techniques and fatality prevention.
We remain committed to safety and will never stop striving for improvement.
We continued to find ways in 2024 to improve the gathering, analyzing and leveraging of our safety data. We are taking greater advantage of our mobile-phone-based application that allows supervisors to participate in safety conversations in the field and enter safety data on dashboards that are used to monitor plant performance and set targets at a granular level. Our Safety Record keeping System provides a more effective way to track the status of corrective actions from initiation to closure.
Our commitment to safety is evident at every level of our company. Our President and CEO, Dave Burritt, has served on the National Safety Council’s Board of Directors for the past four years, providing leadership, insights and guidance in support of the Council’s mission to eliminate the leading causes of preventable work-related injuries and fatalities. In addition, our Vice President and Chief Safety & Security Officer, Robert Rudge Jr., serves as a Council delegate to assist in formulating position papers and policy statements on safety.
We are quick to share our safety insights with others, and to learn from them as well. We partner with the United Steel workers union on safety practices and programs, and our safety team continually collaborates with the World Steel Association, exchanging information and ideas relating to injury trends, incident reduction techniques and fatality prevention.
We remain committed to safety and will never stop striving for improvement.
Safety Commitments and Programs
We further advanced safety at U. S. Steel in 2024 on several fronts through technology and training.
Eighty-eight percent of U. S. Steel’s facilities are ISO 45001 certified. We have been applying new technologies to make even more strides in our ability to assess and improve safety. One example has been our continued use of our mobile application for safety conversations in the field. We also expanded the use of advanced biometric devices to monitor employee health and signal employees and their supervisors to any potential problem before it causes physical distress.
Training is critical to safety. Newly hired employees attend more than two weeks of classroom-based orientation training prior to undertaking specific job-qualification required training. We provide all new operations employees with on-the-job training, including eight hours of safety awareness training every year in addition to the regular training they receive for their specific job functions.
Visit our safety-related highlights, goals and progress.
Eighty-eight percent of U. S. Steel’s facilities are ISO 45001 certified. We have been applying new technologies to make even more strides in our ability to assess and improve safety. One example has been our continued use of our mobile application for safety conversations in the field. We also expanded the use of advanced biometric devices to monitor employee health and signal employees and their supervisors to any potential problem before it causes physical distress.
Training is critical to safety. Newly hired employees attend more than two weeks of classroom-based orientation training prior to undertaking specific job-qualification required training. We provide all new operations employees with on-the-job training, including eight hours of safety awareness training every year in addition to the regular training they receive for their specific job functions.
Visit our safety-related highlights, goals and progress.
Safety and Health Data
OSHA Recordable Cases
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 193 | 190 | 194 |
Significant Injury Cases
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 57 | 59 | 60 |
Days Away From Work Cases
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 11 | 9 | 13 |
OSHA Global Days Away From Work
Incidence Rates¹
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.06 |
1 Frequency of injuries per 200,000 hours worked
360° Safety
In service to our commitment to building a high-performing organization that aligns with our Culture of Caring, in 2024, we devoted our seventh CEO Day of Understanding to raising awareness around our 360° Safety efforts.
The virtual event was broadcast across the corporation, providing company leaders with an opportunity to lead an open dialogue and inspire change. Follow-up in-person sessions were conducted at our largest North American facilities, led by local plant leadership with support from Corporate Safety and Human Resources, and beginning with commentary from our President and CEO, Dave Burritt.
We reinforced 360° Safety throughout the year through a newsletter to all employees and at various presentations and events, several of which included company-wide virtual discussions with company Board members, community partners, customers, suppliers, contractors and other internal stakeholders. In addition, monthly 360° Safety learning paths have been created for all employees who have access to our virtual learning platform. These safety courses are based on topics relevant for that period’s monthly observances, raising awareness for National Nutrition Month, Pride Month, Mental Health Awareness, Heart Health and others.
The virtual event was broadcast across the corporation, providing company leaders with an opportunity to lead an open dialogue and inspire change. Follow-up in-person sessions were conducted at our largest North American facilities, led by local plant leadership with support from Corporate Safety and Human Resources, and beginning with commentary from our President and CEO, Dave Burritt.
We reinforced 360° Safety throughout the year through a newsletter to all employees and at various presentations and events, several of which included company-wide virtual discussions with company Board members, community partners, customers, suppliers, contractors and other internal stakeholders. In addition, monthly 360° Safety learning paths have been created for all employees who have access to our virtual learning platform. These safety courses are based on topics relevant for that period’s monthly observances, raising awareness for National Nutrition Month, Pride Month, Mental Health Awareness, Heart Health and others.
Contractor Safety Management
We engage our contractor workforce by reinforcing our safety policy through written communications, quarterly plant contractor meetings and site field visits. We also communicate our goals for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for our SMS.
All U. S. Steel facilities evaluate the contractor’s conformance to pre-qualification requirements, such as potentially life threatening programs, written health and safety programs and injury performance history. We approve contractors based on these assessments. All contractors are required to complete a site-specific safety orientation prior to gaining access to the site as well as any supplemental safety training that is deemed necessary. While onsite, contractors must perform daily safety meetings, field observation audits and safety inspections.
Each U. S. Steel facility has developed a Contractor Safety Council and meets routinely to determine and communicate key safety issues and activities. These councils, along with the quarterly plant contractor meetings, provide an opportunity for contractors to discuss safety issues among their peers and our company leadership, generating open dialogue around safety and encouraging a culture of belonging and engagement.
All U. S. Steel facilities evaluate the contractor’s conformance to pre-qualification requirements, such as potentially life threatening programs, written health and safety programs and injury performance history. We approve contractors based on these assessments. All contractors are required to complete a site-specific safety orientation prior to gaining access to the site as well as any supplemental safety training that is deemed necessary. While onsite, contractors must perform daily safety meetings, field observation audits and safety inspections.
Each U. S. Steel facility has developed a Contractor Safety Council and meets routinely to determine and communicate key safety issues and activities. These councils, along with the quarterly plant contractor meetings, provide an opportunity for contractors to discuss safety issues among their peers and our company leadership, generating open dialogue around safety and encouraging a culture of belonging and engagement.
When Watching Out for a Coworker Becomes Lifesaving
Darin Johnson was two hours into a night shift at our Keetac facility in Keewatin, Minnesota, when a coworker mentioned that he wasn’t feeling well. The coworker insisted he’d be fine. But Darin was concerned; he wondered if the coworker might be exhibiting some of the early symptoms of heat stress.
Remembering his training sessions on looking out for peers’ safety, which emphasized symptoms of heat stress and exhaustion, Darin decided to act. He notified Keetac EMS, leading to a quick medical assessment of the coworker, followed by a trip to a nearby hospital emergency department. There, doctors found that the coworker’s temperature was spiking to dangerous levels. If he hadn’t come to the hospital, his life would have been in danger, they said.
The coworker made it through the crisis in good shape, thanks to the quick treatment he received — treatment that took place because Darin embodied our culture of making sure everyone goes home safely at the end of every shift.
Remembering his training sessions on looking out for peers’ safety, which emphasized symptoms of heat stress and exhaustion, Darin decided to act. He notified Keetac EMS, leading to a quick medical assessment of the coworker, followed by a trip to a nearby hospital emergency department. There, doctors found that the coworker’s temperature was spiking to dangerous levels. If he hadn’t come to the hospital, his life would have been in danger, they said.
The coworker made it through the crisis in good shape, thanks to the quick treatment he received — treatment that took place because Darin embodied our culture of making sure everyone goes home safely at the end of every shift.
Doing more for Safety
Extending a safety helping hand
After heavy rains flooded parts of the Iron Range in Minnesota in July 2024, a neighbor of our Minntac facility ran into some trouble. At the Minorca Mine operated by competitor Cleveland-Cliffs, a haul truck became stranded in deep water and couldn’t be safely moved by the on-site equipment. In keeping with our culture of community service and safety first, Minntac sent over a large wrecker that was able to safely rescue the truck.
Partnering with the National Safety Council
Working closely with the Campbell Institute at the National Safety Council, U. S. Steel helped launch a new Serious Incident and Fatality Prevention Model in October 2024. Based on a “Plan, Do, Check, Act” scheme, the model helps identify hazards, implement and verify controls, and provide continuous monitoring. We were also named the Champion Donor of the new model
Hitting a safety milestone
In February 2024, the Mine Engineering team at our Minnesota Ore Operations achieved an admirable record: 17 years without a recordable injury. That time period re presents over 700,000 hours of work from the team, an impressive amount of work to accomplish while staying free of recordable incidents.
A new pumper to handle emergencies
Mon Valley Works acquired a state-of-the-art fire engine in October 2024 to serve the Clairton, Irvin and Edgar Thomson plants. The Pierce Manufacturing vehicle can pump water, foam and dry chemicals to assist in a wide range of emergencies. The machine adds to the capabilities of the 54 fire fighters on the facility’s Security and Fire Protection Services team.
Rescue by rope
In October 2024, 48 Mon Valley Works Emergency Services employees took part in two full days of rope rescue training. The sessions focused on rope rescue techniques, simulating challenging emergencies such as high-angle rescue situations where employees in hard-to-reach areas need medical attention.
