No shift ends in Goodyear without a discussion or lesson learned about safety in the Goodyear facility. The constant focus and feedback gained from these sessions helped lead the facility to a full year without an incident.
“Pass downs”, as they are known, take place each morning as the night shift leaves and the day shift arrives. Employees, supervisors, shift leads, and leadership attend the meeting in the final 30 minutes of the workday.
It’s an intentional way to focus on safety each day while also preventing injuries by lifting awareness for the next shift. Start with safety. It’s that simple.
“We obviously take safety very seriously with these discussions, but it’s also an opportunity to celebrate and recognize our employees for working safe,” Brian Gannon, Operations Manager said. “We have giveaways and fun events during shift changes, and everyone engages. from the office and the floor. We make sure that information is shared and brings safety to the forefront.”
Celebrations also include the creation of banners as milestones are reached. Employees sign the banners and they are hung in visible locations.
Improvements continue
A new, renovated Goodyear facility opened its doors for Huhtamaki in 2017 with safety built into the layout and design of the operation. Still, improvements never cease and the team in Goodyear works to keep employees safe with physical improvements.
Those improvements include workplace transport and floor markings. This is an effort to move employees safely to and from the factory floor and throughout the building, clearly marking where walkers and vehicles should be.
This comes with a long history of improvements coming from employee SOSAs that regularly report anything that appears to be unsafe.