Manufacturing Safety Excellence Awards Highlight Best Practices
By Steve Ludwig, Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation recognized four organizations with its third annual Manufacturing Safety Excellence Awards at the EHS Today Safety Leadership Conference: The Clorox Company, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Paper Converting Machine Company for their leadership in applying a holistic approach to safety maturity across their organizations.
“This year’s recipients display a true commitment to safety maturity across their organizations,” said Mark Eitzman, safety market development manager, Rockwell Automation. “They’ve gone beyond approaching safety as a means to maintain compliance, and are embracing it at every level to achieve overall business goals.”
The Manufacturing Safety Excellence Awards honor companies that make workplace safety a core business value by building a comprehensive program based on three key pillars: a strong safety culture, well-executed compliance procedures, and effective use of contemporary safeguarding and automation technology through capital investments.
Here are a few highlights of how these companies continue to put safety at the forefront.
Safety as core value
Clorox makes collaboration between engineering and environmental, health and safety (EHS) inherent in every safety project because safety has become ingrained in the company’s culture. “Safety became part of our global company culture when we labeled it a core value, instead of just a priority,” said Jeff Deel, Clorox electrical instrumentation and controls engineering manager. “Priorities can change over time, but our values remain constant. While we’ve seen improvements in productivity, throughput and competitiveness, the real focus is on ensuring that our partners and employees are well taken care of.”
Collaborating from design to final sign-off
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is continually driving toward a goal of zero incidents and injuries. To get there, engineering and EHS teams collaborate during all stages of introducing any new or retrofitted equipment or plants – from the design phase until final sign-off by the EHS team. “When it comes to safety, compliance and regulations are certainly important. But in order to reach our target of zero incidents and injuries, we believe it is critical for our associates to make safety a personal value in their lives,” said Mike Porter, director of global EHS, Goodyear. “We’re very proud of the progress we’ve made with safety, but know that it’s a journey, and we’re committed to getting better every day.”
Addressing safety from all angles
As one of the founders of the National Safety Council, the Kimberly-Clark Corporation has a long-standing commitment to safety improvement and the health of its employees. “Safety is fundamental to our organizational DNA,” said Dennis G. Averill, CIH, CSP, global director of safety and hygiene, Kimberly-Clark. “We achieve success with everyone in the organization working and learning together, including engineering, EHS and operations. This collaboration is not only done conceptually, but also during the actual execution of risk assessments, safety standards development and more.” The company also continues to achieve safety improvements through its R.E.A.L. strategy, which addresses safety from all angles, including risk mitigation, EHS management systems, accountability and leadership.
Machine design with safety in mind
Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) has made functional safety an integral part of its machine design process. “We differentiate ourselves from competitors by guiding our customers through the safety process and educating them on the opportunities safety presents,” said Jason Stover, senior electrical project engineer, PCMC. “Some might not recognize safety as a fundamental part of the equipment, but by the time we’re done, they see the value.”
The 2015 Manufacturing Safety Excellence Award recipients join a distinguished list of companies that have been recognized as safety leaders. Past winners include Bevcorp, Corning Environmental Technologies, General Motors, Procter & Gamble and the PepsiCo divisions of Walkers Crisps and Pepsi Flavors.
About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs about 22,500 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.