We start Safety Month today. All over the company, we will be having meetings and events designed to raise our awareness about the importance of a safe workplace.
Having a safe environment is a win-win-win situation. First, being safe helps assure that you and your teammates return home unharmed. Woodworking mills like ours have many moving pieces which require our undivided attention. The power it takes to remake successfully wood into pallets and fence doesn’t recognize the difference between the wood and flesh when it encounters flesh. Thus, if our flesh gets in the way, the equipment and material can do some damage. Many times, permanent damage.
Second, being safe makes sure that we keep our teams intact. When one suffers an injury and has to miss work or can’t perform normally in his assignment, the operation of our plant suffers. We count on you to be at your post and to be fit while completing your responsibilities.
Finally, being safe means the company doesn’t have to spend money on doctors to help you heal, replacing your wages and rehabilitating you.
Because we have an excellent safety history, we take on a bulk of those expenses as a company rather than paying for an insurance policy for it. By focusing on creating and reinforcing a safe environment through training, discipline and events like Safety Month, we are able to impact the cost of workers’ compensation.
As July comes to a close, I am encouraged by the efforts that we are making on safety. For two consecutive months, the frequency of injury is less than what we experienced in the same months last year. That’s a positive trend that tells me that we are paying attention and being intentional about safety in our plants.
Way to go! Keep up the good work!
