TAKING ACTION TO WORK SAFE – EMPLOYEE ROLE

Management can provide all of the training, resources, tools, equipment, etc. needed to work safely but if each individual worker does not take action to utilize these things then it is wasted effort.

A SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT

One of your most important goals is eliminate or reduce the chance of error or injury when employees work with heavy, high-speed manufacturing tools, and high voltage equipment.

One of the first steps in executing your safety strategy is to identify the potential hazards that currently exist. This covers anything from oil or water leaking in walkways to warehouse shelving hazards. This step is typically an internal audit-level exercise or risk assessment conducted by evaluation of various historical incident metrics in all areas of the manufacturing facility coupled with the company’s safety strategy. The company establishes tolerable ranges for risk and assigns these values to machine hazards throughout the facility. As part of your safety program strategy, an acceptable risk value to be achieved through mitigation is also assigned.  The risk assessment is the most fundamental component of any machine safety project.

IMPLEMENTATION AND TRAINING

Once equipment safety updates and modifications are made to reduce all identified hazards, the equipment is like a new piece of machinery — safety-rated components have been added, technology and software integrated in machine operation and isolated safety zones have been created. Training employees how to operate and maintain the “new” equipment is critical to everyone’s safety and operational improvement.

Risk mitigation creates necessary change for everyone’s protection and in many cases, provides operational improvement. The Training plan ensures that any worker involved with the operation of the newly upgraded machine is properly trained on the new changes that have been made. Without training, the operator would continue to shutdown the machine as before, creating unnecessary downtime and creating unsafe actions. With effective training, the upgrades, and a retrained workforce often times delivers greater productivity than before the safety upgrade.

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT 

The biggest hurdle in starting a culture of safety is getting everyone to buy into the idea that safety is an investment with real bottom-line benefits. Myths, stories, attitudes, norms, assumptions and beliefs all stand in the way of getting the acceptance facilities need in order to develop a culture of safety. Signs, billboards, reports and incentives can also help, but in the end, the people who run the business will be your greatest asset if they know how to ensure each other’s safety.

SAFETY/ HEALTH PRINCIPLES 

Safety and Health Principles should be established

• Provide workers with a safe work environment.
• Demonstrate that work is never so urgent that we cannot take time to do it safely.
• Demonstrate alignment with the safety mission in both words and actions.
• Ensure accountability at all levels of supervision for safety performance.
• Provide on-going property conservation practices.
• Provide Personal Protective Equipment.
• Develop and implement safe work procedures and rules.
• Encourage raising concerns about hazards by everyone.
• Provide ongoing safety training.
• Conduct routine/regular workplace inspections.
• Enforce safety rules and appropriate discipline.
• Include safety as a performance measurement for all employees.

To build a Safety Program focus on the three supporting areas of Prevention, Capability, and Compliance.

1. Prevention gives us insight into setting a prevention goal that can be achieved based on basic safety changes, procedural changes, and the more in-depth habits and technologies. Implementing easy to follow policies and hazard prevention are key concepts.
2. Capability proved to be the biggest surprise to the representatives as they gained an understanding in passive awareness, pro-active engagement, and skill-driven engagement. Culture change starts with orientation and continues with formal and informal training opportunities, and employee driven awards that focus on catching someone in the act of “doing something right” rather than the “number of accident free days”.
3. Compliance focuses on benchmarking and leveraging internal and external best practices, providing easy access to safety requirements and having simple auditing and tracking methods in place.

FINAL WORD

Be a worker that takes action to ensure safety during work tasks. Do not rely on others to speak up or take the steps necessary to ensure your safety or the safety of others around you. When you identify a hazard take ownership of it and pursue whatever action is needed to correct the situation.