and that's no April Fools Joke..
I was going into the grocery store the other day and the entry rug was all jumbled up. I reached down and got it straightened up. The person I was with asked "why did you do that, that's not your job". I explained that if anyone had ever worked in a foundry or industrial setting, that they know that safety is everyone's job. Safety is not just the responsibility of the safety officer, but each and every person has a responsibility to maintaining a safe environment. Our safety officer at Citation LufkinTexas Foundries, the late great Danny Melton, had it ingrained in everyone's mind that safety was job#1 and everyone had to be committed to it - every day all day.
At the foundry, I unfortunately had to go through the experience of workplace deaths and accidents. Safety just doesn't happen when OSHA is around, it happens all the time and when there is a breakdown in the safety chain, employees can lose their lives or get hurt really bad.
Many might think that in a metalcasting operation with liquid metal flowing around, that the molten metal would be the most dangerous thing and would result in the most LWDI's (Lost Work Day Indicents). When in fact, fork lifts and metal particles were the most common results of injury and death. Employees not wearing their PPE, Personal Protective Equipment, could become injured from metal particles getting into the eye when goggles are not worn, not wearing seat belts on forklifts, etc.
At Citation Lufkin Texas Foundries, we were going through a major computer network upgrade. A number of the "corporate boys" were on-site and I had told them in advance to bring their PPE. I went down into the bowels of the foundry and found all of them out there without safety glasses, metatarsal shoes, hardhats, and ear plugs. I found the HR manager and told him what was going on and he went down and "busted them". They were none too pleased with me, but it was done for a reason. Safety. Their safety and the safety of others.
Along with "bad experiences" with safety, we also had many "good experiences" as well. We crossed many milestones of 1, 2, and 3 million work hours w/o a lost time incident. The foundry always treated us to a huge cat fish dinner and we had special safety awards. I still have a number of the safety awards that I obtained over the years - flashlights, coolers, jackets, and shirts.
So, when I tell you next time to have a safe day, safe weekend, or whatever - I mean it. I know what I'm talking about and also know the importance of safety.
Until next time, see you on down the road in St Louis @ booth# 1463.
Shane Allen
Head of Synchro ERP North American Operations
