EMPOWERING PEOPLE

INNOVATING HEAT PROTECTION

The dedication of the Safety team at our BR1 facility was recognized in 2023 when the team won the Association for Iron & Steel Technology’s 2023 Safety & Health Innovation Award. The team was recognized for the two innovative ways they addressed heat-related illnesses at the plant. Their work resulted in zero heat-related OSHA Recordable Injuries in 2022 and 2023.

Innovating heat

One of the team’s solutions was the use of wearable technology that tracks hydration levels, heart rates, and other biometrics to alert team members to early signs of heat illness before they even feel the first symptom. The other improvement was a custom air collection, filtration and cooling system to pump clean, cool air into areas in which there is a risk of heat-related illness. In the five years before these wearable devices were used, BR1 experienced 10 heat-related OSHA Recordable Injuries. Since the wearable devices were distributed, no employee at BR1 wearing one has experienced such an injury.