Elevator company winning the ‘war on hazards’

Sun Tzu, author of "The Art of War," wrote, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." In 2019, according to McDonough Elevators HSE Director Jim Rushing, the company has continued its "war on hazards."

"McDonough establishes an annual HSE action plan that focuses on equipping and educating our workforce about workplace hazards, conditions that lead to critical errors and the importance of using multiple effective hazard controls," Rushing explained.

McDonough Elevators is a U.S. company and leading supplier of rack-and-pinion industrial elevators. With over 40 years of service, McDonough is a full-service company that provides equipment, maintenance, modernizations, rentals and parts.

Speaking about conditions that lead to critical errors, Rushing stressed avoiding those conditions, using the acronym HURT (Hurried, Upset, Reckless or Tired) to help orient workers in the pursuit of 100-percent safe performance while providing McDonough's services. Better hazard recognition, greater awareness of conditions and working from an advantage are the critical elements to winning the "war."

"We are giving our employees better safety planning and communication tools," Rushing said. "Management's focus on utilizing observation, assessment and incident investigation drives learning. This 'war on hazards' aligns and unites us as a company. Our company and our customers win every time we prevent an incident.

"Our safety culture is maturing, which shapes our shared beliefs, values and attitudes. Our shared safety culture and individual 'safety heroes' have to drive ownership of safe performance and the conviction of how critical it is in achieving our goals and objectives."

McDonough is headquartered in Houston, with full-service locations in Atlanta; Baltimore; Tampa, Florida; and Anaheim, California.

"McDonough is determined to be the best elevator company out there," Rushing explained. "We want to innovate as our safety culture grows. McDonough is one. Our senior leadership recognizes that the vision and the example they set for safety, quality and productivity is vital. We set the bar high and move as one unit -- top down and bottom up -- on safety."

How will McDonough's "war on hazards" benefit its customers? According to Rushing, the greatest benefit for a customer is having a company on-site that gets the job done right with zero incidents.

"When you look at great companies, they excel in safe performance," Rushing stated. "Safety is a litmus test for any organization. When you see a company that's really getting safety right, it points to other sound processes, tools and equipment. When we show up on-site to service or install an elevator, it's going to be done safely and to the highest quality standards."

For more information, visit www.mcdelevators.com or call (866) 497-3654.