12 Jan 6 Principles for Building a Safety-First Culture in Metal Fabrication
In a metal fabrication shop, safety is not just a policy – it is a mindset that must live in daily behavior, leadership practice, and company culture. In this business, even brief lapses in safety can lead to serious injury or even death.
Below are seven guiding principles that we follow at Astro to strengthen our culture of safety in our facility. We share them in the hopes that they may positively impact others.
Below are seven guiding principles we follow to strengthen safety culture in our facility. We share them not just as a template, but as part of our commitment to continuous learning.
1. Make Safety a Daily Practice
Safety should not be discussed only at monthly meetings. At Astro, our shop foreman and our field superintendents regularly discuss potential safety hazards of our work with the people who will be putting their hands on the metal, so that those hazards can be at the top of mind for everyone involved. Sometimes something as simple as reminding someone to put on gloves or safety glasses can prevent an injury and save someone a trip to the clinic.
2. Recognize and Challenge Unsafe Conditions
At Astro, our employees are constantly reminded that nothing is more important than going home at least as healthy as you were when you arrived at work! All team members are encouraged to speak up if something feels unsafe.
3. Utilize a Strong Safety Partner
Astro partners with STC Safety, a third-party safety consultant, to make sure that safety is a constant point of focus in our facility. They perform multiple shop and field inspections per month, take employee surveys, conduct monthly training sessions, and provide toolbox talks, so that safety is never allowed to fall out of the forefront of our employees’ minds.
4. Lead By Example
Your people will only take safety as seriously as you do. Our President and Shop Foreman hold monthly executive meetings with STC Safety to monitor progress, identify any weak areas, and discuss ways in which we can continue to improve our culture of safety.
5. Correct Issues Immediately
In a company with lots of moving parts, details can sometimes inadvertently slip. If issues are identified in safety inspections, Astro strives to correct them as quickly as possible to eliminate any potential hazards that may arise.
6. Prioritize The Highest Risks First
While all areas of safety are important, focus on the areas where ergonomic equipment or process improvements can yield the most positive results first.
Safety culture must be driven from leadership down. When executives, project leads, and foremen visibly adhere to safety protocols, others will follow.
How Astro Makes These Principles Real
- Regular third-party safety inspections in both the shop and the field, accompanied by toolbox talks on a variety of safety issues.
- Monthly executive meetings to discuss inspection results and set the course of our safety program for the future.
- Job Hazard Analysis for field projects, so that our people can be aware of the risks they might face.
- Periodic surveys of our employees to make sure they feel safe at work and solicit suggestions on ways we can improve our safety practices.
These practices help embed safety into every part of our work, from design-assist through final installation.