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Our Global Impact – Sustainability
3M Sustainability in Safety Applications
3M Safety. Improving Lives.

Sustainability in Safety Applications

You're looking out for others. We're looking out for you.

Whether it leads to cleaner water in Mumbai, roadway improvements in London, or lives saved on the battlefield, 3M helps keep people safer in a changing world. Across diverse industries and applications, our technology, expertise and energy drive innovative solutions to help you control your environment so you can focus on the job at hand.

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Worker Health & Safety

  • 3M provides safety solutions that improve comfort while helping employers increase compliance, with personal protective equipment for everything from your eyes and head to hearing and respiratory system.  From safety glasses, ear plugs and safety vests to hearing protection, reflective tape and safety harnesses, we share your goal of keeping people safe. We develop our personal protective equipment (PPE) based on decades of industry experience and a deep knowledge of industry standards.

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    Global Data – International Labor Organization, Safety and Health at Work web page, September 2015:
     

    • Ÿ Every 15 seconds, a worker dies from a work-related accident or disease.
    • Ÿ Every 15 seconds, 153 workers have a work-related accident.
    • Ÿ Every day, 6,300 people die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases, more than 2.3 million deaths per year.
    • Ÿ 317 million accidents occur on the job annually, many of these resulting in extended absences from work.
    • Ÿ The human cost of this daily adversity is vast and the economic burden of poor occupational safety and health practices is estimated at 4% of Global Gross Domestic Product each year.

     
    U.S. Data – Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Bureau of Labor Statistics 2013 workplace fatality data:
     

    • Ÿ 4,585 workers were killed on the job in 2013, on average, 88 a week or more than 12 deaths every day.
    • Ÿ Out of 4,101 worker fatalities in private industry in 2013, 828 or 20.2% were in construction, that is, one in five worker deaths last year were in construction.
    • Ÿ The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by struck by object, electrocution and caught-in/between. These “Fatal Four” were responsible for more than half (57.7%) the construction worker deaths in 2013 (Falls – 302 out of 828 total deaths in construction in 2013 (36.5%), Struck by Object – 84 (101%), Electrocutions – 71 (8.6%), Caught in/between – 21 (2.5%)).
  • Real stories. Real safety

    January 01, 2015

    Real stories. Real safety.

    Stories from the road. "We like to send our buddies home."

    January 01, 2015 Real stories. Real safety. Real stories. Real safety.
  • Enjoy the sounds you love

    January 01, 2015

    Enjoy the sounds you love.

    In a noisy world, 3M helps protect your hearing.

    January 01, 2015 Enjoy the sounds you love. Enjoy the sounds you love.
  • Safe. Productive. Efficient

    January 01, 2015

    Safe. Productive. Efficient.

    We understand the importance you place on the health and safety of your crew.

    January 01, 2015 Safe. Productive. Efficient. Safe. Productive. Efficient.
  • Help protect your lungs

    January 01, 2015

    Help protect your lungs.

    The air you breathe helps you live life to the fullest today and tomorrow.

    January 01, 2015 Help protect your lungs. Help protect your lungs.

Facility Safety

  • Slippery floors, concrete cracks, aging insulation, unsafe windows – any one of these things can make for an unsafe facility and increase worker injuries or slow down production. From keeping dirt and water out of your facility to protecting your floors with high traction treads to products that reduce vandalism and even the chance of fire spreading in your facility, 3M has sustainable solutions that can give you, your employees and your guests peace of mind.

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    U.S. Data – National Floor Safety Institute, September 2015 web page:
     

    • Falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits, representing the leading cause of visits (21.3%). Slips and falls account for over 1 million visits, or 12% of total falls.
    • Slips and falls are the leading cause of workers’ compensation claims and are the leading cause of occupational injury for people aged 55 years and older.
    • According to the Consumer product Safety Commission (CPSC), floors and flooring materials contribute directly to more than 2 million fall injuries each year.
  • Safer floors. Safer people

    January 01, 2015

    Safer floors. Safer people.

    Gain traction toward a safer workplace by reducing slips, trips and falls with our high-traction floor solutions.

    January 01, 2015 Safer floors. Safer people. Safer floors. Safer people.
  • Absorbing more with less

    January 01, 2015

    Absorbing more with less.

    Millions of tiny air pockets absorbing and holding liquids – that’s the science behind 3M™ Sorbents.  By effectively doubling the capacity of material without adding extra weight, our sorbents do more soaking with less waste.

    January 01, 2015 Absorbing more with less. Absorbing more with less.
  • Higher Traction. Fewer Slips.

    January 01, 2015

    Higher Traction. Fewer Slips.

    Even the most sure-footed need assistance from time to time.  Designed for the safety of people in the workplace, 3M™ Safety-Walk™ mineral and non-mineral coated products are made with a non-solvent based material and will help prevent slips and falls in dry, wet and oily conditions.

    January 01, 2015 Higher Traction. Fewer Slips. Higher Traction. Fewer Slips.
  • Keeping dirt and water where they belong.

    January 01, 2015

    Keeping dirt and water where they belong.

    For every 1000 people entering a facility, ¼ lb of dirt is tracked in.  For facilities with 1M visitors a year, that’s up to 250 pounds of dirt and grime on your floors every year.  Reduce your clean-up costs and improve the safety of your floors with a proper 3M™ Nomad Matting System.  

    January 01, 2015 Keeping dirt and water where they belong. Keeping dirt and water where they belong.
    • Safer floors. Safer people

      January 01, 2015

      Safer floors. Safer people.

      Gain traction toward a safer workplace by reducing slips, trips and falls with our high-traction floor solutions.

    • Absorbing more with less

      January 01, 2015

      Absorbing more with less.

      Millions of tiny air pockets absorbing and holding liquids – that’s the science behind 3M™ Sorbents.  By effectively doubling the capacity of material without adding extra weight, our sorbents do more soaking with less waste.

    • Safer floors. Safer people

      January 01, 2015

      Safer floors. Safer people.

      Gain traction toward a safer workplace by reducing slips, trips and falls with our high-traction floor solutions.

Road Safety

  • At 3M we are dedicated to improving traffic safety and mobility so motorists can arrive at their destinations faster and safer. Our high performance materials combine with innovative systems and services to help you bring the best roadway systems into reality. We have been your partner for over 75 years, and continue to bring innovation to the transportation safety industry.

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    Global data - World Health Organization, Media Centre fact sheet, May 2015:
     

    • About 1.24 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
    • Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people, aged 15-29 years.
    • 91% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in lo-income and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately half of the world’s vehicles.
    • Half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”; pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
    • Without action, road traffic crashes are predicted to result in the deaths of around 1.9 million people annually by 2020.

    US data - National Highway Traffice Safety Administration, 2013 report:
     

    • In 2013, there were 3,964 people killed and an estimated 95,000 people injured in crashes involving large trucks.
    • According to the 2013 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 19% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. However, rural fatalities accounted for 54% of all traffic fatalities in 2013.
  • Brighter signs mean safer roads

    January 01, 2015

    Brighter signs mean safer roads.

    Microprisms with cube corner retroreflectivity, applied to brighter signs, help drivers see where they are going.

    January 01, 2015 Brighter signs mean safer roads. Brighter signs mean safer roads.
  • Visibility maximized. Roadway safety

    January 01, 2015

    Visibility maximized. Roadway safety.

    Ensure crew and driver safety with highly reflective work zone materials.

    January 01, 2015 Visibility maximized. Roadway safety. Visibility maximized. Roadway safety.
  • Microprismatic sheeting. Applied to getting home safely

    January 01, 2015

    Microprismatic sheeting. Applied to getting home safely.

    Accidents happen. Vehicles come out of nowhere. That’s why we challenge some of our best scientists and engineers to help improve roadway visibility and safety.

    January 01, 2015 Microprismatic sheeting. Applied to getting home safely. Microprismatic sheeting. Applied to getting home safely.
  • Making safety easier to see

    January 01, 2015

    Making safety easier to see.

    3M’s higher performance retro-reflective sheeting improves motorists' ability to read and comprehend traffic signs.

    January 01, 2015 Making safety easier to see. Making safety easier to see.
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