4Q2021 Challenge Safety Superheroes
Thirty-two poka yokes were submitted and our winners are…
Last quarter, we challenged employees to be SAFETY SUPERHEROS by looking for, reporting and offering solutions to potential hazards within their division – then, putting that Safety improvement and risk reduction effort (aka poka yoke) into action by implementing the solution. The cape was up to you!
Thirty-two poka yokes were submitted by employees at Action Stainless, Berlin Metals, Chicago Tube & Iron, Integrity Stainless and Olympic Steel divisions covering a wide range of topics, including:
With so many solid entries, it was difficult to narrow down the submissions. After careful consideration in the two judging categories, innovation and impact, our winners are:
- Most Impactful Poka Yoke: Integrity Stainless, Latrobe, PA Team
The Latrobe Team’s Chopper Noise Reduction Project eliminated a noise hazard using an engineering control. The technique can be applied to ALL divisions where there may be potentially harmful noise exposures across the Company. Read more here.
- Most Innovative Poka Yoke: Olympic Steel, Dover, OH Team
The Dover Team put on their thinking caps to come up with a creative solution to a common dock safety problem. Any location with a dock should consider doing the same to eliminate a potential fall hazard. Read more here.
Thanks to All Participants
This challenge encouraged everyone to create smart, safe solutions to identified risks, and it absolutely managed to do that. In 2021, we increased our poka yoke submissions by 33%, when compared to the total number of poka yokes submitted in 2020. Thank you to everyone who shared their Safety improvement and risk reduction ideas – your efforts are helping others put Safety First. Always.
Questions?
For questions about this challenge, poka yokes or how to implement process improvement ideas, please reach out to your local Safety Representative or Tony Dominic, Director – Safety, Health and Environment, at Tony.Dominic@olysteel.com.
