Positively influencing safety culture in the manufacturing workplace

Although injuries may occur in all sectors of manufacturing facilities the most serious and deadly are in the skilled trades. Within the UAW, skilled trades comprise 20% of the workforce yet account for 43% of the fatalities. In response to this the U-M has been working with a joint labor and management committee on a skilled trades safety culture research project. Using a variety of discussion tools, U-M worked with the group to reach consensus and make decisions for the implementation of interventions intended to positively influence the safety culture at the plant. Specific improvements include the updating and increased usage of an anonymous near miss reporting system, specially designed moveable ladders that replace the need for high climbing in some areas of the plant and a 20-minute non-disruptive inspection program performed by a group of trades and supervisors. U-M will present the preliminary results from the interventions and comment on the generalizability of the methodology.