SAFETY I
Top metalcasters foster a culture of awareness. DENISE KAPEL, SENIOR EDITOR
n an industry with hazards like those found in metalcasting, acci- dent prevention is a cornerstone of sustainable business strategy. Lead-
ing metalcasters keep safety on an equal footing with other key metrics. Tey con- nect operational improvements to safety goals and tend to work collaboratively with labor and regulators to evaluate risks and reduce injuries and illness. Tis preventive, rather than defensive,
style of management involves routinely analyzing tasks as work moves through a facility, anticipating problems where they might occur and taking critical steps to ensure they don’t. Te recognition that follows, particularly in certification pro- grams such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), is attained through a process of continuous improvement. Participation in the program has
more than doubled over the past decade, with companies in a variety of industries seeking both guidance on and recogni- tion for safety initiatives. Among the metalcasters on the roster are Mueller Water Products Inc., Albertville, Ala.; Pace Industries, Harrison, Ark.; Alcoa Howmet, Whitehall, Mich.; Clow Valve Company Foundry, Oska-
loosa, Iowa; McConway & Torley, Pitts- burgh, Pa.; and Victaulic, Easton, Pa.
Combining EHS and Efficiency Victaulic’s headquarters facility
is scheduled to receive its VPP Star Certification evaluation this year. It’s a milestone on a world-class safety journey that began in early 2011. “We have a big advantage here,” said
Bill D’Amico, global director of envi- ronmental health & safety (EHS) and process improvement for the pipe joining systems manufacturer. “Our safety and health programs are tied very closely to our lean manufacturing initiatives. Tey support each other under our Facility Excellence Mapping Program (FEM).” Victaulic emphasizes and invests heavily in training, along with equipping and empowering staff to improve operations. “One thing I learned long ago is
you get what you inspect, not what you expect,” D’Amico said. “Whatever we im- plement, we follow up and evaluate our programs to ensure they have the neces- sary tools and support to be successful.” D’Amico’s first major objective was to standardize the company’s safety and health management programs and poli- cies across all activities worldwide. “We needed to align everybody under
Conscious Operations
one safety management system,” he said. “Having the FEM and Safety Groups working closely together allowed us to achieve this goal quickly.” All Victaulic activities globally had the same safety and FEM training crite- ria, the same incident reporting require- ments, PPE requirements and visitor guidelines, complying with the corporate safety and health management system. To verify this standardization, monthly global conference calls were initiated and the corporate safety manager performed a formal annual wall-to-wall safety audit on each activity, fast-tracking standard- ization as well as compliance. “We developed a standard reporting
template for each activity to report safety performance progress. Tis template includes incident investigations, training completed, 5S scores, hazards identi- fied versus eliminated and any safety or environmental issues requiring assistance. Tis sharing of information across all the manufacturing activities also developed a certain degree of teamwork that was previously missing.” D’Amico explained. “Under the FEM Program, each time an activity achieved one performance excellence level—qualification, bronze, silver or gold—they need to continue to improve to reach the next level.”
December 2013 MODERN CASTING | 35
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