THE KIRCHHOFF GROUP MAGAZINE

Safety first!
48
Employee safety is paramount at all KIRCHHOFF Automotive locations throughout the
world. Our employees should return home safe and uninjured at the end of each working day.
A success story from our Waverly plant.
It is now two years since safety awareness
was deteriorating at the Waverly
location in Ohio/USA. The leadership
team realised that it was not only individual
aspects that needed to improve,
but that safety at the workplace could
only be controlled if all departments
were taken into account. Plant managers
Deepak Kalwani, Richard Ross,
and Bill Fellure carried through this approach
with the objective of improving
safety awareness in all relevant departments
of the Waverly plant.
In a first step, a project team examined
operating procedures and actual conditions
at the workplace. The operating
procedures and ergonomic situation
were looked at with the company physician
and the responsible occupation-
al health care service. On this basis, it
was possible to draw up clear process
guidelines to reduce the number of
days lost and occupational accidents.
Changes to the work environment and
improvements to work processes were
gradually implemented. Corporate
management and company physicians
have become true partners for our employees
during the recovery from an occupational
accident.
In a second step, the team assessed the
recorded occupational accidents—and
concluded that many could have been
prevented if the 5-S rules had been
observed.
These rules are the foundation for the
design and preparation of an attractive
and safe workstation, because the
chance of an occupational accident occurring
is significantly lower in a well-organised
workstation. Employees have
now developed a specific awareness of
these rules. As a result, 5-S is reviewed
during the daily rounds. Safety in operations
is also a topic that is always
covered in the short daily managerial
meetings. Operational safety takes priority
on the agenda of every employee
forum, and statements relating to industrial
law provide information about
occupational safety and environmental
protection on a clearly visible noticeboard.
The message is recognised in all
departments: safety is paramount.
Although the plant has not yet reached
its target, the initiative is making prog-