Best projects and teams in 2013

The originators of the fifteen best projects in five assessed categories, the group with the most creative project, the best team and the best employee were presented with their awards for results achieved in 2013 at the Centrum Hotel in Kosice on Thursday, February 6.
The official ceremony for the announcement of results and the awards presentation was organized for the third time now by USSK Vice President Operations Mark G. Tabler. The ideas admitted to the assessment were nominated by the staff of General Managers and Division Directors, and continuous improvement projects were included as well. The best projects were selected by a 13-member panel made up of representatives from the Operations, Human Resources, Procurement, Quality and Occupational Safety sections.

Shipping with a million injury-free hours

Now it's the turn of the Shipping Division employees to boast of a million employee-hours without injury. This excellent result, achieved in fact on December 7 of last year, was the product of precise work and maximum commitment by every individual employee. Invitations from USSK President George F. Babcoke to the now traditional informal working lunch held to mark this occasion on February 7 in the company of Vice President Operations Mark G. Tabler, General Manager Occupational Safety and Hygiene and REACH Mark T. Salo and General Manager Finishing Thomas J. Kevin, were accepted by eleven selected Shipping employees.
At this meeting the President of U. S. Steel Kosice observed that for the whole of our Corporation the year 2013 was the safest in its more than 100-year history. While in 2005 at United States Steel we registered 105 serious injuries requiring more than 30 days sick leave, last year there were just five such injuries, of which one happened in Kosice.

Above-average participation in satisfaction poll

With the aim of gaining information directly from Kosice steelmakers about their opinions and attitudes towards their work, colleagues, superiors, the management, as well as their working conditions, and on the basis of this to designate specific measures for improving the overall efficiency of the Company, at the end of last year U. S. Steel Kosice carried out a satisfaction poll among its employees.
Participation in the poll was good, and its results are representative. They show for example that the perception of quality of the work environment is on the level of the best industrial companies in the world. The employees also assessed very highly their opportunities for education and the provision of equipment for work. This poll, which the Company plans to repeat in two years' time, enables fairly precise identification of weak and strong points in the context of comparison with the outside world, and then the directing of attention at specific areas needing improvement.

Weather did not favor skiers this year

Poor snow conditions have made life properly difficult for the organizers of the U. S. Steel Kosice employees' winter sports games in 2014. While the giant slalom and snowboard competitions on the original slope at Jahodna were finally successfully organized on the original date of February 1st, despite the whole event taking place amidst thick fog and incessant rain, the cross-country skiing races at Kojsovska hola (Kojsov Fell) had to be postponed several times. The competition did not take place on schedule on January 18, nor on the substitute date of February 1, due to lack of snow. Third time was lucky, though, and the racers succeeded in having their "white track" competition on February 15.