Mike Darby
Darby Electric Co., Inc.
One of our customers held a mandatory contractor safety meeting at their plant. While there, we gathered some great information that we shared with employees in our company news-letter. I want to share it again here with other EASA members in hopes that you, too, will find it as beneficial as we did.
Model safety record
Kimberly Clark is a North Carolina Star-Certified safety location with an accident rate less than half of the typical score for their industry. Their largest safety issues have occurred with on-site contractors, hence the meeting we attended. Their mill has undertaken extensive efforts to make their workplace safe. The entire mill staff contributed to making a safety video and procedures booklet. They created a culture of thinking safely and using safe work practices.
Make safety a priority
Following are some of their ideas and rules on safety:
First – Safety is more than just a priority; it is a precondition for all work and for continued employment.
Second – Their safety mantra is to “be determined to go home safe today.” They take it to heart – all the way to the mill manager.
Third – Everyone has three safety obligations. They are:
- You are obligated to refuse to take any action that you consider unsafe, that may cause damage, or that you are not trained and capable of performing.
- You are obligated to confront anyone performing or about to perform an unsafe act or a task for which they are not properly trained.
- You are obligated, if confronted, to immediately stop what you are doing and resolve the issue.
Safety on the job is important and thinking safely will lower your risk of injury at home too!
Remember that using safety glasses and earplugs is a very good idea when operating your personal power equipment, such as chainsaws, weed trimmers, lawn mowers and leaf blowers.
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