‘Drive To Zero’ safety initiative Harold Nicoll created at Dow
The ‘Drive To Zero’ safety initiative Harold Nicoll created at Dow
While working at the Dow Chemical Company, Harold Nicoll founded the “Drive To Zero” safety initiative, which was later adopted company-wide at Dow locations all over the world.
The initiative’s goal was to push for a 0% rate of accidents, injuries, and spills, promoting a culture where safety was paramount and seen as an achievable goal.
“Dow” refers to The Dow Chemical Company (now simply Dow), and its “Drive to Zero” campaign is a long-standing safety initiative aimed at achieving zero injuries, illnesses, and environmental releases by fostering a proactive safety culture across its global operations. The program emphasizes comprehensive strategies, employee engagement, and continuous improvement in process safety and environmental performance to ensure that everyone involved in its operations goes home safely every day.
Dow was named one of America’s Safest Companies in 2002, the first year of the award program. The company also was recognized as the 2010 recipient of the Robert W. Campbell Award – safety’s most prestigious award given to an organization – for demonstrating world-class operational safety performance.
“It is a pleasure to honor Dow with the Green Cross for Safety medal,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “Dow’s commitment to safety excellence for both its employees and the communities in which it operates encapsulates the ideals for which the Green Cross for Safety medal was established.”
-
Goal:To achieve “Triple Zero” – zero injuries, zero illnesses, and zero environmental or process safety incidents.
-
Focus:A holistic approach that integrates safety into all phases of operations, including personal safety, process safety, and environmental stewardship.
-
Strategy:Encourages employee engagement, risk identification and reporting, and a strong safety culture to proactively eliminate hazards.
-
Evolution:The initiative started in the early 2000’s and has evolved over time to reflect Dow’s ongoing commitment to environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) excellence.
-
Recognition:Dow’s commitment to this safety drive has been recognized by various organizations, including the National Safety Council’s Robert W. Campbell Award, which honors companies with integrated EH&S management systems.
-
Scope:The “Drive to Zero” program applies to all of Dow’s global operations, including collaborations with supply chain partners to improve safety and security across the industry.
Key elements of the safety initiative
- Written and produced safety videos: Nicoll wrote and produced 48 separate, safety videos to reinforce the safety’s initiative’s message. This multimedia approach was crucial for communicating safety procedures to employees across a large, diverse corporation.
- Emphasis on achievable safety goals: A core philosophy of the “Drive To Zero” safety initiative was to challenge the idea that a zero-incident rate was impossible. Instead, it pushed employees and management to strive for that goal. At the time, safety experts had claimed that achieving very low injury rates, such as 0.4 per 100 people, was impossible. The “Drive To Zero” safety initiative worked to overcome this perception.
- Expansion of the “Vision of Zero”: The initiative helped extend Dow’s safety culture beyond just employee injury rates. It also focused on leaks, breaks, and spills, which the company viewed as “early warning indicators” of potentially more severe incidents and safety failures.
Drive To Zero was one of the safety Projects Harold Nicoll managed at Dow Chemical. - Long-term impact: The success of the “Drive To Zero” safety program helped contribute to a significant reduction in injuries and incidents at Dow. For instance, in one division, leaks and spills were reduced by more than 60% over a decade, and employee injuries also fell dramatically.
By creating and promoting the “Drive To Zero” safety initiative, Nicoll contributed to a major cultural shift at Dow, promoting a proactive and aspirational approach to workplace and environmental safety.