NAICS Code: 331221- Rolled Steel Manufacturing

Number of employees: 55

St. Louis Cold Drawn (STLCD), a Nucor company, produces cold-finished steel bars for various industries, including many automotive and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Customers use cold-finished steel for its high strength, surface finish, and exacting dimensional tolerances.

The company saw the need to lower injuries and illnesses, so it invested a significant amount of capital to address potential hazards in the plant. However, leadership at St. Louis Cold Drawn realized that the company culture also needed to change from one that accepted risks to one that did not.

The company first learned of the Missouri On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program through testimonials from other similar companies. Determined to take their safety and health management system to the next level, STLCD requested its first safety and health consultation visit in 2016. After the first consultation visit, the company worked towards revamping its safety programs with input from the teams on the floor to increase everyone’s ownership and involvement in safety.

Over the course of 14 separate safety and health visits, the consultants helped identify hazards that were present in areas such as shipping, maintenance, and production. Most hazards identified during the visits were insufficient machine guarding, which exposed employees to pinch points, moving parts, and sharp edges. Consultation assisted maintenance and production teammates in developing new guarding and layouts that better protected their team from hazards, while also helping improve ergonomics. The consultants also helped improve hazard communication and identification throughout the facility.

The most significant impact Missouri On-Site Consultation Program had on the company was the company seeing them as partners in the effort to ensure the safety and health of all STLCD team members.

Since 2018, STLCD has seen injury and illness rates below the industry average. The company’s Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rates, which are OSHA recordable injuries or illnesses that resulted in days away from work, restricted duty, or transfers, have been below the industry average for the past two years.

The company earned Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) status in September of 2020 and will seek renewal in 2022. SHARP acknowledges small and medium-sized businesses that have used OSHA On-Site Consultation Services and operate exemplary workplace safety and health programs. Small businesses that achieve SHARP status receive a deferral from OSHA or State Plan programmed inspections for the period that the SHARP designation is valid. Acceptance of a worksite into SHARP is an achievement that identifies the employer as a model for occupational safety and health among its business peers.

Companies interested in SHARP can contact their local OSHA On-Site Consultation program to discuss details and schedule an on-site safety and health evaluation. To locate the On-Site Consultation program nearest you, call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) or visit www.osha.gov/consultation.