Expert Insights: I love a success story
Client visits are a rare treat for an editor, so I jumped at a recent opportunity to take part in one at our corporate campus.
Two individuals from a local manufacturing facility came to share thoughts on safety and security. Even though my audience is typically trucking, I thought I could glean points from these safety professionals, since risk management principles are the same.
Oh, what a mess!
One of our visitors was the plant’s safety manager. When he was hired a couple of years ago, he found the corporate safety culture was severely lacking. It required a major overhaul of the entire program.
His first step was to hire an outside safety consultant to perform a company-wide audit. This gave the company a baseline from which to work. From that, he created strategies for improvement. However, to achieve his goals, he needed buy-in from all areas and levels within the organization. and to overcome resistance from a few, which he did.
The strategy
A theme throughout the client visit was to exceed the safety regulations. Compliance doesn’t always tell the whole story or mean your company’s safe. Employers should go above and beyond through best practices.
Our visitors weren’t afraid to rock the proverbial boat. They challenged the mindset of, “We’ve always done it this way.”
They shared the following best practices that helped them achieve their goals:
- Checklists,
- Policies and procedures,
- Monitoring progress through specific metrics, and
- Use of new ideas and technology.
The end result: This client’s manufacturing facility is now an employer of choice, and both employees and company officials work together to prevent injuries, illnesses, and other hazards in the workplace.
My takeaways: Citing the regulations is fine, but real-world application tells us that you must exceed them to protect your employees, the public, and the company’s interests.
