Nucor elevates Rytec to an unprecedented level of worker safety
Rytec has always been dedicated to the safety of its team members in the Hartford and Jackson facilities, and it has proven that a safer work environment is beneficial for both people and business. When Nucor agreed to acquire Rytec in June 2024, it further elevated Rytec’s safety performance to a more advanced level, which has led to the longest period of no recorded injuries in the company’s history. That fact is a point of pride for Rytec.
Nucor, North America’s largest steel manufacturer, has challenged itself to be the world’s safest steel company. Its guiding belief is that leaders are responsible for creating an environment where every teammate is safe, and that expectation extends to Nucor’s business groups, such as Rytec. “The greatest measure of our culture is how we care for one another through the value of safety,” says Leon Topalian, Nucor President & CEO.
Since the acquisition, Rytec has strengthened its safety management initiatives in several ways over the past year.
- Empowering team members
If any Rytec employee identifies a potential safety issue, they’re encouraged to implement the S.T.O.P. protocol at any time, which involves four steps: Stop what you’re doing. Team up. Obtain a safe work plan. Proceed with that safe work plan.Rytec provides safety reports to Nucor and internal leaders daily, but the number of STOPs implemented is another way to measure progress in Rytec’s safety efforts.
“We’re getting people involved in safety awareness by having daily and weekly conversations about it,” says Jared Smith, operations manager at Rytec’s Hartford facility. “It helps them keep safety in mind in their day-to-day routine, so team members take that extra time to consider the safety of their actions. That’s what’s taking us to the next level in safety.” - Sharing best practices with other Nucor divisions
Rytec and other Nucor companies share safety best practices with one another. When colleagues from other divisions took a recent Rytec plant tour, they provided safety suggestions based on their own experiences. In turn, Rytec shares its successes with other Nucor companies to consider for their own operations. “Becoming part of the Nucor family broadens our ability to learn,” says Don Arnold, operations manager at Rytec’s Jackson facility. “We’re not only learning from our own experiences, we’re broadening it and learning from 33,000 Nucor teammates. It allows us to consider ways to prevent similar incidents from happening at our facility.” - Investing in new technology
Nucor supports purchasing new technology for safety improvements. Here are a few recent examples:- Rytec has installed lift-assist, heavy-duty jib cranes to various areas that require lifting heavy parts and assemblies. This investment originated from a suggestion by a teammate who is installing heavy motors onto final door panel assemblies.
- Newly installed fall protection equipment is now used by building maintenance personnel any time they’re working at an elevation of four feet or higher.
- A smoke and mist collection system was added after a teammate noticed the machining center was producing some smoke and mist. This technology not only improved air quality, also it increased the machining center’s efficiency and extended tool life.
Scott Planey, senior operations manager, previously worked at another Nucor company for nearly two decades and just recently joined Rytec. He’s impressed with the level of communication that leads to safety improvements.
“What encourages me most here is the level of engagement from both leadership and people on the floor and the conversations between them,” Planey says. “People here feel comfortable going to their leaders with ideas, and they will listen to them and possibly turn it into action. I think that’s the biggest thing driving our safety performance this year.”
Looking ahead
The next priority for new safety measures at Rytec is optimizing safety for pedestrians working around cranes and forklifts. Rytec intends to take its current safe practices one step further by updating the shop floor layout to remove workers from areas where cranes and forklifts are in operation. The initiative is now in the early planning stages and will likely be implemented in 2026.
“The work that this team has put into safety in the last year is incredible,” Planey says. “What’s really allowed this team to succeed is everyone’s attitude, embracing the importance of safety as a value and then putting it into action for everything they do.”
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