Friday, January 31, 2003
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Friday, January 31, 2003 |
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Local industry
is becoming a safety leader Senoia's Winpak Films, Inc., is developing a solid reputation of being a safe workplace and a preferred employer, having recently celebrated two safety milestones. Winpak reached one year without a lost time incident Jan. 17. This is the third time in the company's history that this milestone has been reached. In addition, as of January 10, 2003, Winpak has worked six months with zero recordable injuries. "We can't be satisfied with these accomplishments. We will constantly and forever work to improve safety at Winpak Films," said David Mosgrove, the plant's director of operations. "Both achievements are monumental when you consider that we employ approximately 150 employees who work over 330,000 man hours each year, operating on a round-the-clock basis," said Larry Robertson, Winpak's occupational safety manager. "We will continue to make the goal of zero injuries become reality." Winpak's safety record is the result of focusing on a number of basic principles: All injuries and occupational illnesses can be prevented. People are the most important element in an effective safety program. All employees are responsible for their own safety and for the safety of their colleagues. The entire management line has a special responsibility for preventing injuries. Winpak's approach to safety focuses on people. That's because studies have shown that unsafe acts are the cause of 96 percent of all accidents at work. Because the actions and attitudes of employees are essential to working safely, it is necessary to demonstrate the company's commitment to safety and to ensure that employees adopt this commitment as their very own. At Winpak Films, safety is placed at the top of the agenda of every staff meeting, and all employees, as well as contractors; participate in regularly scheduled safety meetings. Because of management's special responsibility for preventing injuries, all Winpak supervisors and managers are personally involved in safety training and safety audits. Great attention is also given to the observation and elimination of unsafe acts. If they go unnoticed, they will sooner or later lead to accidents. This is why all incidents, including near hits are reported and investigated at Winpak. "Our vision for the year 2003 is that we want to be able to look back and see zero recordable injuries and to be well on our way to reaching 1,000,000 man hours worked with no lost-time incidents," noted Robertson.
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