Best Practices Arise Through Discussions at Semi-Annual Safety-Cooridnator Meetings.
Tuscaloosa Health Fair Saves Life
In March 2007, Nucor Tuscaloosa held the first of what has become an annual Health Fair. As an integral part of that first fair, an on-site diagnostics team conducted carotid artery and abdominal ultrasounds and blood screenings to alert those who might be predisposed to heart disease.
The fair lasted five days and covered a 12-hour period each day to ensure that all shifts were covered. In addition, spouses and children were able visit the administration building to benefit from the same tests. In all, the fair had 250 participants, including the wife of an employee who was found to have a 99 percent blockage in her carotid artery. Fortunately, she underwent successful surgery the very next morning. Testing also revealed an employee who had a 75 percent blockage of his carotid. He is now taking medication and being monitored.
Technology-enabled communications, mixed with face-to-face sessions are helping Nucor safety coordinators instantaneously share what they learn with their peers.
An intranet dedicated solely to safety, with discussion boards, legal updates, articles, research and safety-related blogs keeps open communications flowing between all of our divisions. And twice-a-year meetings ensure that direct communication and learning continues as well.
Sites for these meetings rotate from facility to facility with agendas that are just as varied. For example, recent meetings have featured guest speakers talking about the treatment of hand injuries and the importance of stretching, lectures by experts on pandemic outbreaks and behavioral based safety programs.
One constant at all of these meetings, however, are the group breakout sessions. Here safety coordinators from their respective Nucor manufacturing groups meet to review safety incidents and safety success stories. For example, a report of several recordable ankle injuries at a mill might lead to a discussion of what type of footwear is better — pull-on boots or lace-ups?
Additionally, there are many success stories reported at these meetings, which can lead to the implementation of best practices like:
- Starting every shift every day with a safety huddle.
- Prohibiting new employees from working on a line until they have been thoroughly indoctrinated and are familiar with working conditions and safety procedures.
- Giving workers an extra pair of safety glasses to take for use at home.
- Requiring those involved in accidents to give a detailed oral report on what went wrong to members of his shift and safety committee.
Each of these semi-annual meetings lasts for two days, but the lessons learned by the safety coordinators and the best practices they bring back to their facilities last for lifetimes.