Greetings, everyone, and welcome to another edition of Mighty Line Minute! I’m Amy, today’s AI host for this special podcast. To kick things off this month, we’re starting with a conversation close to home—an interview with our very own Dave. 

Over the course of his diverse career, Dave has focused extensively on risk management across a wide range of operational areas. His experience also includes warehouse design and construction.

Interestingly, his current specialty lies in music creation, development, and production, a field that may seem unrelated, but one we’re excited to explore in a future podcast.

Welcome to the show, Dave!

Thanks, Amy for having me.

So, Dave, how would you identify "5 Indicators of Safety Excellence" that should be found in every well-run organization today? 

I've found five elements that are effective in every safety program I've come across. Caring employers always prioritize these areas.

I get that. Sounds simple enough, but we know that work environments are complicated. And at times they can be unforgiving. And I’m not just talking about the hazards of the job, but issues can arise working with others. After all, we’re all human beings – aren’t we?

Exactly. People bring their own challenges. But let's focus on the five areas that I intend to cover.

Are you saying that all an employer needs to do is five simple things?

No, safety's tough. But if they're not in place, you need to rethink your approach.

OK – so now you’ve really got me curious. But thankfully – we’ve got regulations to protect us - right?

Compliance is just one piece of safety and health. I'm talking common sense stuff, beyond regulations.

OK Dave, I’ll shut up. Hit me with it!

So, here are five key efforts necessary to reduce injury and illness risk in the workplace. Number one, robust safety training. You've got to train all employees, especially equipment and machinery operators. And that means with job-specific training, hazard analyses, job safety analysis, and workplace instruction that lasts. So, post-instruction, there's got to be follow-up.

Secondly, regular safety audits. Management and workplace teams need to regularly conduct audits and inspections of the work environment, and do so on a team-based approach. That means equipment checks, inspections, and for complex systems–whether it be machinery or chemical processes–special experts may need to be involved and not just looked at by any one individual or local team.

Yes, I certainly can agree with that! All sounds good, but how do employees really know that equipment and operations in the workplace are safe?

And that's number three, a safe physical environment. That means safe layouts for machinery, equipment, personnel, and traffic throughout the facility. Use clear floor markings, safety tape, floor signs, other types of notifications that employees understand.

It's important to focus on fire and life safety as well, and that means paying attention to NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, as well as NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm Code. So be sure to check those codes and standards as well.

Isn’t that a lot to expect? I mean, how do workplaces comply with all of that NFPA stuff?

Most are required to.

Wait a minute. You’re saying that every workplace needs to be compliant with the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, and the NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code? I’m not familiar with them. I thought OSHA governed exits, emergency lighting, fire alarm systems and such?

That means there's more required beyond OSHA. That's why folks have to pay attention to codes like NFPA 70 and 70E, Electrical Safety for the Workplace. The NFPA codes and standards are updated far more frequently than the OSHA regulations.

OK. I see that I’ve got a lot more to learn.

Number four is the establishment of a safety accountability culture. Let me explain what that means. Employees must be empowered to identify hazards in the workplace and feel free to report them. Also, that there's collective action taken on items that are identified as hazards. Employees need to be involved in safety discussions on a team-based approach. So, leadership must model this in order to reduce the risk.

Got it, Dave. It's making sense now.

And finally, number five, maintaining systems and equipment, machinery– on some proactive basis– with regular inspections, monitoring and follow-through. A construction fatality I once investigated could easily have been prevented. And that would've been simply by inspecting brakes on a daily basis. More importantly, making sure that there was a preventive maintenance program in place to assure that the equipment was well-maintained. Also, solid management of change processes are essential in any work environment. Without them, organizations can't thrive, let alone survive.

Wow, Dave, thank you for your insight. I’m going to keep those Five Indicators of Safety Excellence top-of-mind when visiting operations as I travel about. Thanks again for your time and expertise, and I’ll look forward to speaking with you again on another edition of Mighty Line Minute!

My pleasure, Amy. And just remember the acronym, TAPAS: Training, Audit management, Physical environment, Accountability culture, and Systems management. Stay safe.

I most certainly will, Dave. And for our listeners, take a moment to head over to MightyLineTape.com to learn more about how Mighty Line can help you and your operation on its path to safety excellence! 

Cheers!