Safety first. That’s a popular buzz phrase, but how many of us really practice what we preach? How often do you consider safety issues at your plant? Have you checked your safety practices lately? Are they up to date? Are they still relevant to your current processes? Do you even know?
When it comes down to it, there’s more to business than the bottom line. Our employees rely on us to provide a safe environment for them to earn a living. They are our most valuable assets – but they’re far more than that, too. Their physical welfare should be our top priority.
At Environmental Remedies, our mandate is “safety before production,” and we mean it. Safety is a prime focus for management here, and we’re getting that message across to all our personnel. We don’t want to focus only on the numbers; we want to promote the mindset that we value our employees and their safety – whether at work or at home
Here are few things we do at Environmental Remedies that we believe makes a huge difference in employee well-being:
- Fall protection: This is a main concern for OSHA and for us. We installed a fixed cable SRL (self-retracting lifeline) fall protection system around the unloading areas of our plant to protect workers who climb in, around, and on the trucks. If a fall occurs, an employee will only fall two feet. This goes beyond OSHA’s requirements of four feet fall protection. We think it’s worth it. Secondly, any employee who will be climbing (e.g., on and off a truck) when performing his or her duties must wear a full-body harness at all times, whether the employee is on our property or a client’s property. Moreover, drivers and technicians entering our property must also wear full-body harnesses when climbing on and off trucks or working above four feet.
- High visibility uniforms: Much of our work is done in the early morning hours and in areas not always well lit, such as behind a facility. If others in the area, like drivers making deliveries, can’t see our people, then our employees are at risk. Although high visibility vests are the norm, we decided they weren’t enough. Instead, we built the high visibility component into our total uniform. It’s safer, and it’s also consistent.
- Mandatory monthly safety training for all employees: This training includes administration, management, sales and marketing, technicians, everyone. Topics rotate each month and typically involve situations everyone will face at some time or another. Ladder safety, safe driving practices, first aid and CPR, PPE, and fire extinguisher training are just a portion of topics we cover. We hold our monthly training sessions in addition to OSHA-required training.
- Finally, we put a lot of effort into creating a culture of safety. We take safety training one step further by implementing programs that urge people to think of safety every day. And we make it fun. For example, we host a popular competition in which our safety bulletin board features a picture of a scene featuring several health threats. Employees identify the hazards in the photo and then submit an entry form listing those hazards. Whoever gets the most correct wins a gift card.
Why so much emphasis on safety? Beyond the obvious answer – fewer workplace accidents and injuries – we’re convinced that what becomes a habit in the workplace will carry over to safer habits at home. Safety then becomes an ingrained behavior. It also has the added benefit of a domino effect: children and other family members will see employees opting for safer decisions – using a stepladder instead of climbing up onto the kitchen counter to reach the top cabinet shelf – and learn to make better choices themselves.
At your plant, safety begins with you. If you emphasize prudent systems and practices, you demonstrate the high value you place on safety – and your employees — at your facility. For more information on our safety awareness and training programs, give us a call at 800-399-2783.