Our Story

Caterpillar Safety Services began as a privately owned safety training company in Portland, Oregon in the 1970s. Over the years, it evolved into a consulting firm after discovering that training alone wasn’t enough to change a culture.  That required shifting the mindset of executives, engaging leaders in the day-to-day management of safety and involving employees at the frontline in continuous improvement processes.  By the early 2000s, Caterpillar had already undergone a safety culture transformation, but was looking for something more – something to break through the plateau they found themselves on, as well as a way to meet the needs of their customers.  That desire resulted in the acquisition of decades of wisdom, experience and proven processes now employed by Caterpillar Safety Services.

Caterpillar’s own journey demonstrates the profound effect a focus on safety leadership development and continuous improvement can have within an organization. From 2003 to 2019 our Recordable Incident Frequency (RIF) improved from 6.22 to 0.43 (industry standard is 2.9). That’s a 93% RIF improvement and something we’re immensely proud of.