Making Safety Job No. 1

Safety is critical in a manufacturing environment. Failure to follow safety procedures can have serious consequences, including worker deaths and injuries, absenteeism, and reduced productivity. It can also lead to increased workers’ compensation claims and higher insurance premiums for employers. With such high stakes, it’s no surprise that many HR professionals in the manufacturing sector consider safety training a top priority.

Safety programs benefit corporations as well as employees ...

"It’s unacceptable to hurt people in the production of a product,” says Daniel W. Evans, vice president for corporate environment, health and safety (EHS) at Armstrong World Industries, in Lancaster, Pa., a manufacturer of floors, ceilings and cabinets. The company has reduced its federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rate of recordable injuries from 5.4 cases per 100 workers in 2001 to 1.8 per 100 in 2005. That rate is substantially lower than the industry average of 6.3 per 100, and Armstrong is working to lower its injury rate even further.

“Even with that rate, because of the size of our company, it meant somebody got hurt every day, and that is unacceptable,” Evans says. “Our goal is to get to 0.0 per 100.”

... While reducing injuries can reduce employers’ workers’ compensation costs, employers gain much more by creating an overall safer workplace."    (Continued via HR Magazine)    [Ergonomics Resources]