The EHS Today Safety Leadership Conference is this week in Greenville, SC. I’m there following the Safety Technology track sponsored by Rockwell Automation. I’ll have reports on information from the sessions in a later post. Rockwell used this opportunity to recognize the winners of its Safety Excellence Awards for leadership in manufacturing safety.
Rockwell Safety Excellence Awards Winners 2015
Four organizations received awards at this the third annual Manufacturing Safety Excellence Awards. The company recognized The Clorox Company, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) for their leadership in applying a holistic approach to safety maturity across their organizations.
“This year’s recipients display a true commitment to safety maturity across their organizations,” said Mark Eitzman, safety market development manager, Rockwell Automation. “They’ve gone beyond approaching safety as a means to maintain compliance, and are embracing it at every level to achieve overall business goals.”
The Manufacturing Safety Excellence Awards honor companies that make workplace safety a core business value by building a comprehensive program based on three key pillars: a strong safety culture, well-executed compliance procedures, and effective use of contemporary safeguarding and automation technology through capital investments.
Following are the details about the award winners:
The Clorox Company: Tracy Glover, Jeff Deel, Rockwell’s Mark Eitzman
The Clorox Company
Clorox makes collaboration between engineering and EHS inherent in every safety project. Safety has become ingrained in the company’s culture. “Safety became part of our global company culture when we labeled it a core value, instead of just a priority,” said Jeff Deel, electrical instrumentation and controls engineering manager, Clorox. “Priorities can change over time, but our values remain constant. While we’ve seen improvements in productivity, throughput and competitiveness, the real focus is on ensuring that our partners and employees are well taken care of.”
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company: Dennis McGavis and Rockwell’s Mark Eitzman
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
Global tire manufacturer Goodyear has taken a proactive approach to safety by creating a corporate culture that values the wellness and safety of its employees. It continually drives toward a goal of zero incidents and injuries. To help achieve this, engineering and EHS teams in manufacturing facilities around the world collaborate during all stages of introducing any new or retrofitted equipment or plants – from the design phase until final sign-off by the EHS team.
“When it comes to safety, compliance and regulations are certainly important. But in order to reach our target of zero incidents and injuries, we believe it is critical for our associates to make safety a personal value in their lives,” said Mike Porter, director of global EHS, Goodyear. “We’re very proud of the progress we’ve made with safety, but know that it’s a journey, and we’re committed to getting better every day.”
Kimberly-Clark: Peter Shen with Rockwell’s Mark Eitzman
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Kimberly-Clark has a long-standing commitment to safety improvement and the health of its employees as one of the founders of the National Safety Council. “Safety is fundamental to our organizational DNA,” said Dennis G. Averill, CIH, CSP, global director of safety and hygiene, Kimberly-Clark. “We achieve success with everyone in the organization working and learning together, including engineering, EHS and operations. This collaboration is not only done conceptually, but also during the actual execution of risk assessments, safety standards development and more.”
The company also continues to achieve safety improvements through its R.E.A.L. strategy, which addresses safety from all angles, including risk mitigation, EHS management systems, accountability and leadership.
The Paper Converting Machine Company, Jill Thiede, Jason Stover, Rockwell’s Mark Eitzman
Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC)
As a manufacturer of tissue converting, packaging, envelope, nonwoven and flexographic printing technology and machines, PCMC has made functional safety an integral part of its machine design process. “We differentiate ourselves from competitors by guiding our customers through the safety process and educating them on the opportunities safety presents,” said Jason Stover, senior electrical project engineer, PCMC. “Some might not recognize safety as a fundamental part of the equipment, but by the time we’re done, they see the value.”
Past winners
The 2015 Manufacturing Safety Excellence Award recipients join a distinguished list of companies that have been recognized as safety leaders. Past winners include Bevcorp, Corning Environmental Technologies, General Motors, Procter & Gamble and the PepsiCo divisions of Walkers Crisps and Pepsi Flavors.
