At Satellite Shelters Inc., we believe in doing business differently. Safety is not something we just talk about; we live and breathe it every day. We demonstrate our commitment to safety through our products and services, but it is also reflected in our core values. However, we did not get here overnight.
In 2009, there was a lack of focus and an increase in careless behavior. It was clear our safety program was not supporting one of our primary core values. That is when the executive team decided to take action and hire Alan Rupp to be our new safety manager.
“One of my first goals was to revamp the Satellite Shelters Safety Program,” he said. “We needed to refocus on safety training and encourage employee participation in the program.”
Alan refocused the employees by training them to understand the hazards of their specific jobs and roles within the company. He also created an internal reporting and audit process that would hold everyone accountable, thus creating a culture of safety and putting training into the hands of each employee.
The safety program now follows closely with the standard policies, procedures, and requirements as defined by OSHA and is divided into 12 major categories (one topic for each month of the year). Safety talks, activities, and trainings are based on the topic for that month and keep employees engaged in the program through weekly activities.
While the previous audit process was repetitive and included no internal reporting checks, the new inspection process requires the employee to think about what is being inspected.
“I empower our employees to look at everything an inspector might call them out on,” Rupp said. “This puts the accountability back in their hands and not just something the company asks them to do.”
Today, our safety committee meetings are attended by one or two employees from each branch office, along with Alan and top-level executives. They meet on the first Wednesday of every month to report on the previous month’s safety topic, activities and questions, and discuss the new topic and process for the current month.
This call is an important part of the safety culture at Satellite. It exists as a forum for employees to share immediate feedback and helps to reinforce the safety topics and activities each month.
So, how do we make safety a priority every day? It has to start at the core. We attribute the success of the Satellite Shelters Safety Program to three areas: upper management support, program simplicity, and employee adoption. Without all three, the program would fail.
The executive team at Satellite is directly involved with the safety program and understands the need for all employees to stay focused on safety in everything they do. That is why “Safety First and Always” is one of our core values. We believe every injury is preventable, and we work together by speaking up to make sure everyone gets home safely.
The second success factor is the simplicity of the safety program itself. When Alan started at Satellite, he completely overhauled the documentation of our safety policies and procedures. Rather than a book that required continual updates, the necessary information is now accessible and navigable for all employees electronically through our internal network. Not only is this better for the environment, but it is also scalable. New items are added regularly and can be copied for external purposes as needed.
Alan attributes the third success factor to employee adoption.
“The active engagement of all employees is what actually makes our safety program work,” he stated. “Everyone — including the yard personnel, the drivers, office workers, and executives — believes in this value to the core.”
The results that have come out of the new Satellite Shelters Safety Program have been increasingly positive. Not only are the employees working safer, but other organizations are also taking notice. Satellite has been presented with numerous awards, including most recently the Fleet Safety Award from Raffles Insurance Ltd. For driving between 4 million and 9 million miles with zero DOT reportable incidents.
The road to safety is never-ending, and while no one is perfect, keeping a focus on safety in everything you do will bring positive change in your organization.
For more information, visit www.Satelliteco.com, call (800) 453-1299 or email inquiry@satelliteco.com.