Today and tomorrow, we highlight two companies that have discovered that special something that drives value in their safety and health programs. Learn how they got there and the difference it has made.
“Commitment” is among the most overused words in the safety universe, but at Strick Trailers, commitment really is the driving force. Strick is an industry-leading manufacturer of semitrailers (known in the business as “dry-freight vans”).
The company has been in business since the 1930s and produces trailers for leading corporations and the federal government. Its headquarters and lead manufacturing plant are located in Monroe, Indiana. About 400 people produce some 6,000 units annually.
Manufacturing engineer manager Barry Melton explains that commitment at Strick isn’t about nagging and preaching. It’s about conveying and getting workers to buy into and understand the safety message. At least, that’s how things are today, but it hasn’t always been that way.
Something Had to Change
Some years ago, Strick was facing an unenviable accident record—an average of one recordable incident per day. This led management to conclude that something had to change. Commitment to a safer Strick began to take root.
But it wasn’t until an equipment malfunction led to a fatality that those who had been reluctant to get involved in safety started to come around. Melton calls the change that resulted a “paradigm shift.”
It can be seen and felt in a number of ways, including through management’s trust in employees’ ability to identify and understand risk. So, for example, if any Strick employee deems a process unsafe, he or she has the right to shut down the operation without repercussion.
Great news! BLR’s renowned Safety.BLR.com® website now has even more time-saving features. Take our no-cost site tour!
Or better yet, try it at no cost or obligation for a full 2 weeks.
Culture Change
Making the decision to become a safer place to work was just the first step. A series of deliberate actions contributed over time to creating a lasting safety culture. Here are a few examples of what changed:
- The safety committee took on greater importance. Although a committee had been in place for many years, it was strengthened and interest in participation grew. Management made a concerted effort to respond actively to employees’ suggestions, not just collect them.
- A significant investment in safety-related process improvement was made. Since 2005, Strick has spent $3.5 million on changes like an internally designed machine that inserts rivets into the walls of the trailers. Elsewhere in the industry this highly repetitive task is performed by hand. Employee input was sought for this and other operational changes. And any workers displaced due to automation were reassigned elsewhere in the plant.
- The high-vibration, high-torque task of installing tire and lug nuts by hand was automated. A risky job that took four people 20 minutes can now be done with one employee, hands-free, in about 2 minutes. Another plus was that automating the job also resulted in quality improvements.
- The company completely revamped the testing bay in which finished trailers are checked for leaks. The process required considerable manual labor and involved working closely with a high-pressure water stream. Much of that manual labor has been designed out of the task. The redesign also resulted in making the test bay “greener” by using recycled water.
- Accountability is built into team meetings. Following a brief morning safety talk, employees are asked to sign off on their participation in the session, which features a discussion of a changing daily topic.
Your one-stop safety management resource, available 24/7. Go here to take a no-cost site tour or here to try it in your own office!
Robust ROI
Strick’s commitment to worker protection has paid off big time. The company went from a higher-than-average injury rate for the industry of 5.1 to a significantly improved rate of 0.5.
Melton advises employers who talk-the-talk to be prepared to walk-the-walk—and foot the bill. “You can’t be afraid to invest in safety,” he says. “And if you display your true dedication, you can sit back and watch the positive changes. Once employees see you are serious and committed, they’ll be right on board with you.”
Tomorrow, we’ll introduce you to another company that has discovered that special something that drives their safety and health program.