Tag Archives: incidents

General Safety Issues

SAFETY LEADERSHIP – BIG FOOT SIGHTINGS! (GUEST POST)

Have you ever had a conversation with a person who vehemently believes in Big Foot?  Just to let you know, I’m not a Big Foot believer.  In fact, when it comes to critters that can’t be found alive in a zoo or we can’t even find remains for, I’m no fun at all.  Anyhow…  Big Foot believers lean on evidence of the North-American man-ape’s supposed-real tracks and fur as well as grainy photos and blurry videos, most of which appear to be fabricated to me.  But believers swear by this evidence and also tout the testimony of other believers as more evidence!  Yet why haven’t we managed to capture one of these giant, up-right-ape-like creatures?  Believers will tell you that, “they’re shy and reclusive.”  Then why do they keep popping up in grainy photos around where people are?  It all doesn’t make sense and leaves me wondering.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only Big Foot skeptic out there.  I just want to see real proof before I jump on the side of the believers.  I feel the same way about Big Foot that I do about management that say they are committed to safety but their actions reveal otherwise.  Where’s the real proof of the commitment from top leaders?  Is the safety commitment only captured verbally in meetings or on signs posted?  Before I become a believer, I want to see that commitment in action!

Early on in my safety career, I worked for a Plant Manager by the name of Walt that, in my opinion, was truly committed to safety and his example shaped my view of how top leaders should commit to safety.  In fact, I thought all Plant Managers took the lead in all safety meetings, constantly lecturing people to be safe and, in emergencies, grabbed megaphones and reminded people to do things the safe way.  Walt completed daily safety inspections, participated in incident investigations and verified people were safety trained.  I once saw Walt get teary-eyed reporting news about a fatality at a neighboring plant.  So, how did Walt’s plant perform safety wise?  I don’t remember any serious incidents at the plant while working for Walt.  I do, however, remember safety issues that Walt demanded everyone rally around to resolve.  Hazards were taken care of swiftly under Walt’s leadership.  Walt’s safety leadership did not amount to suspect footprints or blurry videos.  No way!  His commitment was visible, clear and obvious to all.  There was no question: Walt lived safety and expected everyone else to follow his example, and that was clearly captured by all!

Was I in for a surprise after I was transferred to a new facility with a new plant manager! I’ll call my new boss Chester.   I was over Safety and Security at this plant.  Chester told me that his plant was 100% committed to safety.  “Naturally,” I thought thinking back to Walt.  To my dismay, I never did see Chester in any safety meetings or conducting safety inspections like Walt did.  Chester often asked me about safety-related issues but was never present for machine start-up-safety-walk-throughs or participated in incident investigations.  This plant had a lot of safety incidences, and I remember directing and reviewing endless investigations and reporting back to Chester what went wrong.  He listened closely and showed concern but not much else.  I know Chester occasionally walked the floor, but I only heard vague reports he engaged employees in safety discussions.  Bottom line:  Chester’s outward safety behaviors were quite reclusive and evidence of his safety commitment was a bit grainy at best.  Chester was a safety leadership Big Foot.

Don’t get me wrong about Chester!  He, indeed, was a very impressive leader, and I learned a ton working for him.  He just wasn’t focused on safety as much as other things like inventory, quality and profitability:  all good things to focus on but, in today’s brutally competitive, high stakes manufacturing game where tiny mistakes lead to grave consequences, safety must be the focus for leaders at the top.  Factories that struggle with safety often also deal with debilitating employee relations issues, cost control challenges with rising workers compensation premiums and crippling down time due to unforeseen, damaging events.  Not to mention bad PR (think of the BP oil-leak catastrophe in the Gulf)…  Plant managers and other top leaders that make safety leadership action part of their daily activities tend to grab control of employee relations, cost and unplanned events at the same time they control safety.  This type of safety leadership action you can tag, track and place in a zoo for all to admire!

Admittedly, I would love to see Big Foot and know he/she/it is real.  I might never go camping again but the knowledge that a creature like that is alive in the woods would be totally awesome!  Similarly, I would love to see all these highly intelligent, super capable leaders grab control of safety through action and leadership and know that one that ascends to that level means that without question, there will be an action-oriented safety commitment.  It really can’t be said too often or emphasized enough just how important outward expressions of management commitment to safety are to the success of organizations.  So, for all you leaders out there, don’t be an elusive safety Big Foot!  Let your actions reveal your commitment to safety and your leadership set the safety tone for all that work for you.  You can do it and once you establish control, we can begin to tackle the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster or what I like to call the ever-mysterious, employee-involvement-in-safety creature.

Till next time – live safety!

MAU Workforce Solutions’  Safety Manager – Rob Loose, has written a variety of safety related articles for our organization.Safety Professional with Manufacturing, HR and Health Care management experience, Rob has worked for MAU Workforce Solutions since 2006 supporting both HR and operations functions.  Currently he serves as MAU’s Corporate Safety & Risk Manager.  A 1998 graduate of Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, Rob now calls North Augusta, SC home where he lives with his wife and  two kids.   Rob is a member of the Augusta, GA chapter of ASSE.

We thank you for sending this very entertaining yet informative article encouraging us to know what to expect of our safety leaders and their sincere dedication to keeping their workers safe.  Thanks again! pb

General Safety Issues

APRIL 28TH – INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING

Most of us are probably not aware of the significance of April 28th.    It is the International Day of Mourning, set aside to pay our respects to fellow workers who were injured or killed on the job.  The International Day of Mourning not only commemorates the dead, ill and injured, but raises awareness of the importance of occupational health and safety and its role in preventing needless tragedies. 

Initially launched by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1984, the day was officially established as the National Day of Mourning in 1990 after the Canadian government passed the Workers’ Mourning Day Act.  In the United States, the AFL-CIO, America’s union movement, adopted April 28 as Workers’ Memorial Day.  Later, in 1996, the International Confederation of Free Trade organized the first International Day of Mourning, which prompted candle lighting ceremonies to protest unsafe work practices.  More than 85 countries worldwide recognize this important day.  

This year’s theme is “Mourn for the dead, fight for the living.”  Here are ways that you can do just that:

  • Be a safety mentor to a new worker.
  • Find the lesson to be learned from a workplace injury or fatality you’ve heard about.
  • Hold a candlelight vigil to remember workers who died.
  • Take 5 minutes to listen to Stacy Smallwood’s OHS performance poetry, a beautiful tribute to those who died on the job.
  • No matter where you are in North America, dedicate a flower to a fallen worker on the WorkSafeBC memorial website.  As you watch the flower fall, take a moment of silence to honor a friend, family member or colleague. 

There are probably very few of us who have not known someone who died on the job, as a result of either unsafe work conditions, lack of training, or carelessness on the part of the worker.  One of the ways that you can help others is to be a safety mentor to co-workers, at all times, as mentioned above.  Don’t take unnecessary chances; go to your supervisor if you feel your tasks are compromised. 

The following is an excerpt from an AFL-CIO Facts About Safety and Health Department report, dated April 18, 2011:  “This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the effective date of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.  The Act – which guarantees every American worker a safe and healthful working environment – created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to set and enforce standards and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to conduct research and investigations.  This year also marks the 42nd anniversary of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, and 34th anniversary of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act.  Since 1970, workplace safety and health conditions have improved.  More than 431,000 workers can now say that their lives have been saved since the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.  However, many workers remain in serious danger, as demonstrated by the Massey Energy West Virginia coal mine disaster last April that killed 29 miners, the Tesoro Refinery explosion in Washington state a few days earlier that killed 7 workers, and the BP/Transocean Gulf Coast oil rig explosion that claimed 11 workers lives.” 

Approximately 1,000 Canadian workers and over 5,000 American workers die annually in work-related incidents.  Canadian workplaces average three workers dying on the job every day, with more than 900,000 workplace injuries reported every year.  An average of 16 workers in the U.S. die each day from injuries received at work, and 134 are estimated to die from work-related diseases.  Each day in America, approximately 9,000 workers are treated in emergency rooms because of occupational injuries.  These statistics indicate that we have a long way to go before we reach the safety goals that North American workers deserve. 

CCOHS, OSHA, CDC/NIOSH hope that the annual observance of this day will strengthen the resolve to establish safe conditions in the workplace for everyone.  It is as much a day to remember the dead as it is a call to protect the living.