Liberty Tire Recycling | 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance Report 31 ENGAGING PEOPLE & COMMUNITIES Safety: A Team Effort The Liberty Tire Recycling safety team carries the significant responsibility of ensuring every employee goes home safe and healthy, every day. An indication of this team’s effectiveness is Liberty’s continued improvement in 2023 for recordable and lost time incidents and finishing the year with zero OSHA violations across all of our locations. In 2023, two-thirds of all our sites had no injuries. The results are attributed to the shared efforts of leadership, the regional safety teams, site-specific safety managers and a focus on safety by all employees. Mike Herbert, Director of Safety at Liberty, credits the success of our safety program to the unwavering support from the highest levels of leadership in the company. CEO Thomas Womble and the executive leadership team support the safety program with the words they speak, their daily actions, and unwavering financial support. Safety is the first thing mentioned on every weekly company-wide call led by our CEO. If an injury occurs, the leadership team meets to analyze why it happened and how it can be prevented in the future. In addition, the safety team is shown support by leadership through the granting of proactive requests to update equipment and for capital investments. Further emphasizing the importance of safety, Liberty has tied a portion of management bonuses to safety metrics. A comprehensive training program, which is the same for both full-time and temporary employees, begins on day one with a training video, a tour of all safety measures at the facility, a safety checklist, and, at some locations, introduction to a safety buddy. The training is practical and concise, with the goal of keeping employees safe, identifying potential hazards, and providing directions of whom to ask questions. Safety training remains on-going throughout an employee’s tenure at Liberty Tire Recycling. Ongoing training is conducted both in person by the site managers, and digitally using 18 Liberty Learning safety courses and a variety of 7-minute microlearning segments. The training is presented in both English and Spanish, and electronic access is provided via on-site learning cubicles. Relationships and trust are the building blocks of our culture of safety that is woven into every aspect of daily life at Liberty Tire Recycling. Every shift begins with our managers leading a mini stretch and flex class, visually observing all employees, and sharing a five-minute safety talk - one of 2,900 safety talks written in-house to address topics specific to Liberty’s operations. Managers are required to attend a tire collection route to load tires to further their understanding of all the potential aspects of the job and the safety hazards that may be encountered. Each month, employees and leaders come together to perform a “clean sweep” of a location. When a facility requests a “clean sweep” event, the site receives a deep cleaning, and any needed repairs are performed while lunch, games, and prizes are brought in to create a fun and productive atmosphere. We also celebrate excellence in safety with company-wide and regional awards presented by our CEO as well as our Chief Human Resources Officer, Barry Mathis. As we look forward to 2024, the Liberty Tire Recycling safety department is working on creating in-house safety certifications and a Liberty-developed safety curriculum. This in-house training will feature tiered levels, each comprising classroom training, comprehensive examinations, case studies, term papers on specific subjects, and practical applications in the field. The increasing requirements at each level will ensure thorough knowledge and proficiency. This program will enhance employee expertise, promote a culture of safety, reduce workplace incidents, and ensure regulatory compliance, ultimately contributing to a safer and more productive work environment. ZERO OSHA VIOLATIONS across all our locations & INJURIES at 2/3 of all our locations
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