Crown Equipment Corp., New Bremen, Ohio, has been presented with a 2010 Occupational Excellence Achievement Award from the National Safety Council. The award recognizes safety achievements and implementation of effective safety programs and initiatives.
“Everyone at Crown takes great pride in the safety culture we have established and ingrained in our manufacturing facilities and processes. Earning this national award exemplifies and affirms our commitment to establishing a safe working environment” said Dave Beddow, Vice President Manufacturing Operations. Safety at Crown is a collaboration of supportive leadership, a lean design and manufacturing process, and employees that work hard and care.
The company’s comprehensive safety program is enhanced by employee involvement, as well as management support, and focuses on conditional and behavior-based safety. An injury prevention program encourages employees to proactively suggest ways to improve the workplace and create a safer environment, while the behavior-based SafeSteps program encourages observation and positive feedback.
Since its inception in 2005, SafeSteps has improved safety numbers year after year. Within its industrial classification sector, Crown’s safety record was less than half the national average for the number of reported injuries and illnesses that involve days away from work. The company’s research into workplace safety programs led to the training of managers, then training of a key set of employees, modeling the program in one manufacturing location, and seeing employees take the initiative to help their colleagues work safely.
“Our employees observe their colleagues in action and point out what they are doing right and provide positive feedback” said Brian Duffy, Director of Corporate Environment and Manufacturing Safety. Often companies make the mistake of only focusing on negative reinforcement and what employees do wrong. SafeSteps works because employees participate, which helps to keep safety top-of-mind throughout the entire workday.
Cards list positive actions that employees are taking, such as sounding the horn on the lift truck as it approaches a corner, using a face shield while grinding, or using the hoist to lift heavy parts. The plant steering teams receive hundreds of observation and feedback cards a month, resulting in thousands of safety observations by employees each month.