A Joint Health & Safety Committee made up of representatives of labour and management can be integral in ensuring a safe workplace. In Canada, such committees are mandatory; in the U.S., the committee isn't mandatory but plays a prominent role nevertheless, especially at larger companies. But having a committee is a far cry from having an effective one. One of the things you can do to make your committees more effective is to draw on the lessons of successful committees from other companies. With that in mind, I'd like to relate a safety committee success story.

The Ajax Plant

The Ajax, Ontario-based Avery Dennison Fasson Inc Plant is part of an international company with headquarters in the U.S. It employs 110 people on a three-shift, five-day-a-week production schedule. The plant makes 'sticky paper.' This is dangerous work. The manufacturing process involves several production lines that apply coatings and lamination to create the finished product. Potential hazards include in-running nip hazards, confined spaces (ovens and tanks), some chemicals, knives, material-handling equipment and manual material handling. Ergonomic issues are potentially significant and command much attention in the safety program.

But the Ajax plant has a very successful environment, health and safety program. In fact, the plant has come to be seen as a safety benchmark among other Avery Dennison plants here and in the U.S.

The Safety Committee

Not coincidentally, the Ajax plant also has a very active Safety Committee. The Plant Manager describes the Committee as the focal point for a fully integrated team approach in which everyone at the plant--workers and managers alike--play an active and empowered safety role. The Safety Committee has been so successful that U.S. visitors to the plant often request permission to sit in on committee meetings.

The Safety Committee at the Ajax facility has some unique characteristics that help ensure it interacts constantly with every team member. As one finishing technician and worker Committee member puts it: "The best thing I can say about our Safety Committee is that because of the way it operates, the safety benefits are spilling over to other aspects of our work - for example product quality."

The Committee's Distinctive Procedures & Features

The Ajax Safety Committee doesn't always follow traditional models in its functioning. Here are some of the things that make it distinct:

1. Safety Committee meeting are held weekly and deliberately limited to a maximum of one hour resulting in meetings that are focused and well planned.
2. Daily meetings of work groups are also held when shifts change. Such meetings are called 'huddles' and safety is the first issue addressed.
3. Each department has its own representative member on the Committee (11 members).
4. Meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend and/or wants to raise an issue.
5. The Plant Manager will often sit in on meetings; this means that there is usually someone there with the authority to make agreed changes.
6. Many safety issues are dealt with immediately at work group level so the Committee does not see itself as usurping the day-to-day safety responsibilities of workers and supervisors.
7. The Chair role rotates among pre-selected members weekly, providing opportunities for many members to practice leadership skills.
8. The Safety Committee prepares and communicates monthly achievement reports.

Best Practices

Like most successful committees, the Ajax Safety Committee's actions reflect some interesting best practices. These include:

Setting and Achieving Targets: The Safety Committee prepares annual safety performance targets based on a number of indicators, not just recordable injury/illness rates. Associated with this process of target setting and monitoring of achievement is a set of performance measures.

A Process for Achieving Zero Incidents: Although the Ajax Plant's "Zip" process started from a behaviour-based safety program, it looks much more like an employee empowerment tool. This is because, with the help of the Safety Committee, the program was highly customized to fit the Plant's safety culture.

Each employee is given 12 hours of safety training (in two hour weekly sessions). This training includes leadership training and counselling skills to promote empowerment. Another indication of empowerment is the fact that any employee may close down a process that's unsafe. If a shut down occurs, the work group immediately convenes to discuss the safety issue. As a worker member explains, "we have a really proactive safety system here; if there is any safety problem, any employee can activate the process to resolve it."

Training that's Fun: Most training is provided in-house and tailored to specific needs. So far, 95% of the team at the facility have received the 12-hour ZIP training; but other training includes confined spaces, first aid, lockout/tagout, incident management, ergonomics and spill response. "Training here is fun" the member states, "because we are always involved in group exercises, not just sitting listening."

Safety Theme Months: At the end of the year, each of the Plant's 11 departments is asked to commit to a safety theme for each of the remaining11 months of the year. Each department has a budget of $250 to allocate to its theme (e.g., for a prize to be awarded at the end of the month). This year's themes include: post holiday "trimming-up"; heart & stroke awareness; environmental awareness; fire protection and health trivia.

Conclusion

Not surprisingly, the last time I checked, the Ajax Plant had had no lost time accidents for 5.5 years. It had also received annual workers' compensation rebates. Clearly, this has not been achieved by chance, but through a safety program that belongs to the whole team and in which the Safety Committee acts as a cornerstone.

MAY DAY QUIZ

Question: Why is "May Day" used as an international signal of distress?

Answer: "May Day" is the anglicized version of the French phrase, "M'aidez," which means "Help me."

HISTORIC MOMENTS IN WORKPLACE SAFETY

Violence spawns a new holiday

The Haymarket Riot of 1886

By Glenn Demby

In 1886, Chicago was one of the world's leading centers of labor activism. The burning issue of the time was the fight for the 8-hour work day. So on May Day, the workers of Chicago went out on a one-day general strike. Demonstrations continued for the next two days. Anarchists and radicals got involved. The Chicago police started rounding people up.

On May 3, things turned violent. A peaceful demonstration in support of striking workers at the McCormick Reaper plant turned into a riot. Police opened fire killing one person. Dozens of others were arrested.

But the trouble was just beginning. The next day, thousands gathered in Haymarket Square to protest the police violence at the McCormick plant. At the end of the rally, the police moved in. Suddenly, a bomb exploded. One police officer was killed instantly. Six other officers suffered wounds that would ultimately prove fatal. 60 others were injured. The number of civilians killed and wounded remains unknown. The person who threw the bomb was never identified. But eight men were tried and found guilty. Four were hanged, one committed suicide, two remained in jail for the rest of their lives and one was pardoned.

In 1889, socialists from all over the world met in Paris for the First Congress of the Second Socialist International. Among other things, they voted to establish an international day of celebration for the working man. The day they chose: May first, in commemoration of the Haymarket riot.

Story Tools:  Email This Post  Print This Post Top