IS THIS THE SAFETY CULTURE YOU WANT AT YOUR COMPANY?
By all indications, it was a routine workday for the 100+ people working at the landfill being constructed. Site operations were normal, including dump trucks that were placing material into a large conveyor system, with some conveyor belts 8’ wide and over 500’ in length.
When site personnel returned from lunch, they found their new subcontractor, who had been working alone, hanging by his right ankle from the bottom a conveyor belt, which was approximately 20’ off the ground. The majority of his bones had been broken and he did not survive his injuries. No one at the site, including safety personnel, had any idea how this could have happened since everyone always “worked safe”.
While at first blush no challenges were self-evident, a quick assessment determined relatively minor unsafe work practices were routinely occurring. There was also a hesitation by site safety personnel to speak candidly, and an overall air that something was “amiss”.
Within a fairly short period, it was further determined that the site had a strong undertone of employee intimidation and, oversight personnel lacked the requisite skill set. These challenges were compounded with site management that was solely focused on production.
Collectively, the investigation identified a series of stressors that had been in place for an extended period of time which hadn’t been identified during prior routine audits.
Safety Culture Strategies, LLC was formed to facilitate achievement of a progressive safety culture for our clients, culminating in reduced injuries & illnesses, enhanced morale, and increased profitability. Our vision is to become the provider of choice for management transformation and safety culture consultative services.
We offer over 40 years of proven experience and expertise in various facets of safety culture and facility processes, including over 30 years’ experience addressing commercial nuclear power and/or Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) facility programs.
Contact SCS today for an initial consultation to determine the best options to enhance the safety culture at your company. Everyone has a safety culture,…but is it the culture you want?
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AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Safety Culture Enhancement
- Facility & worker safety
- Construction & Chemical Safety
- Process Safety Management (PSM)
- Development, implementation, qualification, and validation of safety management, construction, and emergency response/recovery programs
- Oversight and audits of facilities and programs
- Operational readiness reviews/readiness assessments
- Near miss, incident, and accident investigation
- Root cause analysis
- Regulatory compliance