Culture of Safety Improvement

Following is a summary of a consultant's OSHA type safety audit which almost immediately brought about an improved Culture of Safety within a major manufacturing operation.

The design of an OSHA type safety audit is not necessarily complicated. However, conducting an effective safety audit can be very complex. Between January 1, 2007 and June 30, 2007 this company had 25 OSHA recordable accidents. None were extremely serious until the 25th accident. This accident resulted in multiple medical stitches in the employee's forehead. Had the "struck by" occurred only a few centimeters to the left of the impact it may have been fatal.

This inspector was contracted in July 2007 to perform an OSHA type safety audit and identify why these accidents were occurring. There was no discernible trend by types of accidents. The audit and root cause analysis determined that there was definite negative attitude among the employees that lead to the accidents. This attitude was identified when the following safety hazard was found.

Expert's Finding

Chain link on breakdown machine with nut on bolt that holds the chained in a secured position. The nut was loose and about to release the chain lock. When the pin failure occurs a 125 pound chain will be released under uncontrolled pressure to whiplash, presenting the potential for a catastrophic struck-by hazard. The failure would have almost assured that at least one employee would be killed.

The safety audit, with accompanying interviews, revealed an almost total lack of communication between employees and management. The employees felt that they had no voice in any of the operation, even to ensuring that the equipment is kept in good working condition. It was found out that there was no organized maintenance program, even routine inspections. This inspector gained the confidence of the employees; and, was eventually told that until this audit no one had ever inspected the breakdown machine. There was no documentation that any of the operators had training on the device's operation and maintenance – "we just learned it!"

The audit seemed to indicate that management viewed the employees as a "cost of doing business."

There have been no OSHA recordable accidents following implementation of the safety audit recommendations.

To see the resume of the expert associated with this case study, see the link below.