EHS Today has honored companies for their safety efforts since 2002 by recognizing them in their America’s Safest Companies award program and we’re proud that several SafeStart clients have been among the recipients over the years.
In order to be considered one of America’s Safest Companies, organizations need to demonstrate:
- “support from leadership and management for EHS efforts;
- employee involvement in the EHS process;
- innovative solutions to safety challenges;
- injury and illness rates lower than average for their industries;
- comprehensive training programs; evidence that prevention of incidents is the cornerstone of the safety process;
- good communication about the value of safety; and
- a way to substantiate the benefits of the safety process.”
SafeStart helps companies meet many of the requirements on the list and complements existing safety management programs to reach set safety goals. SafeStart provides personal safety awareness and a playbook for managers to gain employee buy-in while improving the overall culture. It also helps organizations recognize the importance of 24/7 safety.
In a presentation to SafeStart, John McGillivray, Manager, Safety & Environmental Affairs at Scot Forge Company, said, “In 2014, we were very honored by EHS Today Magazine to be named as one of America’s Safest Companies. In 2016, we beat that performance that earned us that award by 50%.” He went on to say that it’s not just about reducing injury rates (although they noticed a big change in their incident rates across three plants since they implemented SafeStart), but it’s about changing the culture, providing a common safety language for employees and addressing safety 24/7 (by encouraging them to take it home to their families).
Scot Forge was recognized again as one of America’s Safest Companies for 2019. They attribute a significant part of that success to SafeStart. Scot Forge realized that they needed to make a change if their safety record was ever going to get better—and SafeStart helped that change stick.
Another SafeStart client that made the list for 2019 is RedGuard, a blast-resistant building manufacturer in Wichita, Kansas. It’s no coincidence that RedGuard had a similar experience to Scot Forge—personal near-miss incidents (whether they occurred at work, at home or on the road) need to be discussed openly and employees need to feel free to do so. By incorporating communication, awareness and 24/7 safety into their culture, they’ve been able to achieve positive and meaningful change.
“The leadership team at RedGuard takes great pride that our employees have engaged in, taken ownership of, and embraced our safety culture for themselves, their co-workers, and even their families away from work. We’ve seen a 60% reduction in our TRIR since we began SafeStart and I’m sure that made a difference when we were chosen as one of America’s Safest Companies,” said Steve Crider, Safety and Compliance Officer at RedGuard. “We talk about safety every day to keep it top of mind and to keep everyone safe from harm. That’s how we are able to exceed expectations for safety and quality of work. We see it drive our culture and carry over into several areas of our operations and personal lives. That makes for more positive life experiences.”
We recognize and commend the extraordinary efforts of the participating companies and extend special gratitude and congratulations to Scot Forge, RedGuard and all of our clients for reaching the highest levels of worker protection.