Page 27 - OHS, September 2023

Demonstrate Active Listening Many of our best ideas – including the boot stipend – have come from employees, and I can’t overstress what an important role they play in maintaining a safe environment. Good managers try to walk the floor as much as possible, but sometimes it’s hard to get there, and these sporadic walkthroughs can’t fully capture the minute-to-minute realities. Employees will tell us where the hazards are – we just need to hear them. When looking at all the different as- pects of creating a safe environment — training, meetings, mentoring, teachable moments, catching people doing great work — the throughline is empowering workers. Nobody knows their jobs better, and they should feel comfortable telling us when something is not right. When our employees noticed that gritty materials from the shop were making near- by walkways a bit slick, we created a plan to enclose the shop. We’ve also been working with the maintenance team on safe climb- ing. Should we replace ladders with stairs? Is there a better way to get tools up to high- er levels? ThTheir insights were invaluable during these discussions. Safety is an ongoing conversation. No single person or group knows everything about what’s going on in the plant or the budget or the best options to rectify a po- tentially hazardous situation. But when managers and employees put their heads together, the diversity of thought and varying perspectives can lead to the devel- opment of good solutions. One of the best parts about initiating these conversations is that they get better over time. As employees’ ideas get imple- mented, they start to recognize that they are part of the innovation process, and that makes them more forthcoming. We don’t do everything they suggest, but we make sure they know they’re being heard. In April, we started conducting more formal workplace walkthroughs called Gemba Walks to discuss safety, quality and delivery with each team daily. Gemba means “where it happens,” so it defines the act of seeing discussing work where it takes place. We talk to our people out on the manufacturingflfloorandequallyimpor- tant, we listen. It’s been reinvigorating for employees because they know we are work- ing to protect them, and recognize that it’s okay to slow things down, when necessary, to make the plant safer. The more we em- power each other to contribute to a safer workplace, the better we become. Michael Schulte is the Director of Opera- tions at SLIPNOT, which makes safety floor- ing and surface technologies. He has exten- sively trained in industrial manufacturing productivity, efficiency, safety and leader- ship, with certifications from Dale Carnegie and the Rapport School of Leadership. Email him at MichaelS@slipnot.com. REFERENCES 1. azqs.short.gy/qPV5i2 2. azqs.short.gy/O1IDVF WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED GUARDRAIL GOALPOST HANDRAIL BOLLARD & BOLLARD COVERS RACK GUARDS SAFETY WALLS ROOF RAIL Goal Posts & Guardrail Roof Fall Protection Safety Wall Guard wwUwn.toitlhesd-o2nl1ine.com SEPTEMBER 2023 | Occupational Health &8/S16a/f2e3ty3:04 P2M7 (877) 325-0698 WWW.IDEALSHIELD.COM INFO@IDEALSHIELD.COM