Workplace Safety

In 1999, Ford began a Safety Leadership Initiative aimed at making our workplaces safer. In the nine years since, we have seen dramatic results, with key injury rates dropping to nearly a tenth of their previous levels. The practices established in this initiative are now so fully a part of how we run our business that we've dropped the term "Initiative" and now simply call it "Health and Safety Leadership."

The "health" part of health and safety is also an increasing focus for Ford. This is driven by growing recognition of the impact that health issues like heart disease, diabetes and obesity can have on the well-being of our employees, as well as the cost of providing health care to our current and retired workforce in the U.S. (See the Economy section for further discussion of health care costs.) By helping employees to prevent serious diseases and effectively manage chronic conditions, we can have a positive impact on our employees' quality of life and our bottom line.

We organize our health and safety programs using the framework described in this section.