Editor’s Message


Saturday December 14, 2013 was the anniversary of the tragic event that happened in New- town and as expected there are


numerous memorials and tributes. Many are focused on – never forget and one I noticed focused on “a moment in the light.” While these are obviously important and necessary, I believe that remember- ing is not enough. If we truly value the lives that were lived by those that tragically lost their lives on that day the anniversary should be reminder to call our nation to action so that in the future more children’s lives are not lost in schools. Patrick Fiel, Sr. captured our current reality the best in his article, Sandy Hook one year later: How much longer do our schools have to wait? when he said "Amid all the rhetoric, we lost focus and now seem willing to sit complacently until the next Sandy Hook happens." And, as if, on cue the shooting incident at Arapahoe High School in Colorado occurred.


In stark contrast to the inertia on school violence the safety community is moving forward with progres- sive and successful efforts to create safer work- places. Accordingly, the first two articles in this edition are from the recently concluded America’s Safest Companies Conference. As I have mentioned on several occasions, the hallmark of a true work- place violence prevention expert is one who has a deep multi-discipline understanding. A lot of exciting developments are occurring in the safety world and it behooves you to stay on top of this information to be on top of your game.


Those of you that want an excellent read that moves beyond feelings and concepts and provides a thoughtful approach to dealing with bullying in the workplace be sure to read the Chartered Institute for Professional Development (CIPD) white paper ‘Bullying at Work Beyond Policies to a Culture of Respect.’ (see page 7)


Pat Biles columnist for the Workplace Violence Today column has decided to dedicate her time to promoting Workplace Violence Awareness Month. We thank Pat for her contribution and look forward to working with her in the future.


Thanks for your patronage in 2013. I hope you and your family are having a great holiday season and that you have a safe, secure and joy filled New Year.


Barry


The Recipe for Best-in-Class Safety


Rockwell Automation presents a new tool to guide manufacturers on their long safety journey. Mark Eitzman, global market development manager at Rockwell Automation, and his team at Rockwell have released a breakthrough whitepaper called: "Safety Maturity: Three Crucial Elements of Best-in-Class Safety." In it, author Steve Ludwig, nailed down the relationship between high performance and high safety standards. "Today, best-in-class manufacturers realize that the combination of employee behavior, processes and practices, and technology implementation enable them to go far beyond simple compliance to deliver improved productivity and greater efficiencies and dramatically lower injury rates.” Best


-in-class


companies, those with a 90% or higher OEE and under 2% unscheduled asset downtime, consistently show the best safety records (under 0.2% repeat accident rates and .05 injury frequency rates). In other words, safety and productivity go hand in hand more that we previously understood. "Companies that approach safety holistically can improve productivity, gain efficiencies and experience improved employee morale,” said Ludwig. From the data collected, Eitzman unveiled Rockwell's new signature tool: The Safety Maturity Index. The index is a self-guided assessment tool that provides a "comprehensive measurement of performance in safety that helps companies understand their current level of performance and steps they can take to improve safety and profitability."


Read more DE CIS IONPOINT


This column is designed to help sharpen your judgment in providing valuable advice regarding how to handle incidents of aggression.


When an employer hires a security service are they liable if security fails to prevent an assault?


The Situation: Luna Security Services had been hired to provide security services for a concert. Ali Sameer attended the concert. As Sameer exited the concert, he saw a commotion outside. Sameer did not see any security guards in the vestibule. Before exiting the foyer he was hit very hard from behind and was stabbed. Sameer sued Aragon asserting that they owed Sameer a duty to protect him from harm.


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