January/February 2015 When I began my first safety job in the recycling industry, in 1999, I noticed that more than a few employees, supervisors, and middle managers didn’t take their safety responsibilities seriously. They’d receive up-to-date training on hazards in the field and the company’s safety policies and procedures, but afterward I’d often find these same people bypassing them. I quickly learned that enforcing such safety rules is often the most difficult part of the equation. I also discerned that the success of any corporate safety program hinges on whether all levels of a company’s management—from chairman to yard supervisor—make safety their core value.
In 2007, a large steel company acquired the recycling firm where I worked. Within the first 60 days after the deal closed, the new president of the recycling division held a series of group meetings with all employees to introduce himself, the parent company, and our new “Cardinal Safety Rules” policy. I was impressed that the president took the time to tell every employee how important safety was to him and to the company. He encouraged the employees to make safety their core value for their own safety and for the welfare of their families and loved ones. As the president talked, I realized that this cardinal-rule approach was going to transform the recycling company’s safety program.
The cardinal rules addressed five critical safety issues and potential hazards in our recycling operations: lock-out/tag-out, machine guarding, confined spaces, mobile equipment operations, and fall protection. Those rules were nothing new to the safe operation of a scrap recycling business. Each, in fact, has its own set of OSHA regulations, not to mention best practices and other guidance from equipment manufacturers and ISRI. What was new was the discipline the company would impose if an employee violated any of the cardinal rules. As the president explained, any employee who violated a cardinal safety rule would be suspended immediately for three days without pay. If the same employee committed a second violation, he or she would be fired. This new approach was a game-changer, forcing everyone in the recycling company to approach safety in a new way. In my view, it was a policy that was sure to affect lives and livelihoods.
Variations on the Same Theme
Since joining the ReMA safety team in 2013, I’ve visited many recycling operations, and I’ve found that several other companies have programs similar to the “Cardinal Safety Rules” program at my previous employer. Some of the programs focus on one or two of the five cardinal rules, while others go beyond those five. The other programs have names such as “Safety Absolutes,” “The Critical Six,” and “The Golden Rules.” The common thread among these programs is that the originating companies are setting clear expectations for safety. These expectations start with the company’s highest officers and hold every other management level accountable for its actions or inactions. These companies also have a clearly defined disciplinary action plan in the event an employee violates one of the cardinal rules. That is a crucial part of the equation.
The cardinal safety rule approach can be a valuable tool in our ongoing efforts to eliminate accidents, injuries, and fatalities in recycling operations. As with other corporate policies and procedures, any such initiative must start with the top brass and work its way down through the company. Adopting such an approach will bring the rules you select to a higher level, and it will show your employees that you, the senior executive, make their health and welfare your highest priority.
Tony Smith, a safety outreach manager for ISRI, is an 18-year safety professional, with 15 of those years spent in the scrap recycling industry. Reach him at 260/409-9561 or tonysmith@isri.org.