July 7, 2022
June is the National Safety Council’s National Safety Month. Safety is our top priority and number one Company value and we incorporate it into everything we do. We discuss safety on a daily basis at the plant and corporate level and engage several times a month in safety team meetings across all our locations. During our weekly safety team meetings, potential hazards and risks are identified to prevent future safety issues and promote continuous improvement. Our safety teams also provide positive recognition for team members who demonstrate our Core Values, as well as team members who suggest new safety ideas that we implement. In addition, we host health and safety events across all of our facilities every year, including flu shots, COVID vaccination clinics, hearing tests, and blood drives.
In observation of National Safety Month, we focused on a couple of different safety areas.
Forklift Safety
Tuesday, June 14th was the 9th annual National Forklift Safety Day (NFSD). This day is an opportunity for manufacturers to reinforce the importance of operator safety training, forklift safety practices, and the need for daily equipment checks.
Multiple times annually, our forklift drivers meet with our site EHS managers to review safety protocols to encourage safe operation of industrial vehicles, the importance of safety during operation, and frequent maintenance of powered industrial trucks. Company-wide, we highlight extensive classroom and hands on-training that enable our team members to operate safely and at their best. We also focus on pedestrian safety throughout the plants in areas where industrial trucks are operated. Through this training we work to mitigate issues before they happen, always keeping safety in mind. On June 14th we set aside time to thank our hardworking forklift operators for always making sure they are operating their forklifts in a safe manner while maintaining pedestrian safety throughout the plant.
Job Hazard and Ergonomic Analysis
One way we improve workplace safety is through frequent job hazard and ergonomic analysis. During these analysis, our facility ergo teams observe and recognize hazards, collaborate with management, and offer solutions to mitigate on the job risks. Some of their observations include where in the process team members are bending and lifting materials, how it affects them, and what can be improved. These analysis include a cross functional facility ergo team who has been trained in ergonomic analysis, including members from the EHS team, production supervisors, program managers, and the employees who complete work in the cells. These analysis’ are completed weekly across our facilities and we used National Safety Month as a reminder to refresh our procedures.
Evacuation Drills
In June and July, all three of our locations will participate in drills to prepare in case of a fire or need to evacuate the facility. Each facility will review their evacuation protocols, work with their local fire departments, and make sure all employees know the evacuation process and designated evacuation zones. Preparation is key to a safe evacuation and the two locations who have held their drills as of this posting have had impressive evacuation rehearsal times.
To learn more about joining our team, visit https://www.qmc-emi.com/careers/
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