The path to an accident-free workplace starts with identifying risks and preventing accidents. We continually encourage our employees to report the risks they observe in their day-to-day work. We were pleased to note that twice as many risk reports were submitted in 2022 than in 2021. Now we have more information to work with in our quest for zero accidents.
Fundamentally, our improving statistics reflect an increased awareness. We are thinking twice and helping one another. When it comes to safety, a single person, department or management alone cannot do the job. Everyone has to take responsibility.
Efforts with attitudes and values
Johan Marberg is Health, Safety and Environment & Facility Manager at Suzuki Garphyttan – and has responsibility for the progress of our safety efforts. He reports that we are working differently from how we used to, with a different focus:
“We are working much more with behaviors, attitudes and values. In our safety orientation, we talk about roles – that you may have a different role at work than at home. But if you have an accident in your working role, it will also affect who you are outside work, at home and with your family. This provides a different perspective.”
Johan Marberg – Health, Safety and Environment & Facility Manager, Suzuki Garphyttan
Clearly pointed in the right direction
Johan also notes the importance of transparency towards all employees, so that everyone understands the current situation and what future efforts will look like. It is especially important that risk observations are handled, and that changes are made in areas where risks are reported. It may be a bit too early to draw conclusions, but we are seeing clear results.
Long visors for improved protection
At our Swedish plant, Site Garphyttan, we placed an extra focus this year on preventing accidents that might lead to facial injury. To evaluate how long visors would affect our accident statistics, the site’s summer employees used a visor model that more fully covered their face.
The long visors turned out to work very well, and not a single facial injury was reported. Today a long visor is standard equipment for certain tasks – only at Site Garphyttan for now, but we are introducing the standard globally.
These are exactly the kinds of changes we need to achieve our goal of an accident-free workplace.
