The 300-plus employees who work at Eriez Headquarters in Erie, Pa., have set an impressive safety record after instituting a company-wide employee awareness program. As of Nov. 1, 2010, employees have worked more than two years without a lost-time accident, surpassing the old safety record by more than a year.

According to President and CEO Tim Shuttleworth, Eriez employees have worked 730 plus days straight without a lost-time accident, surpassing the old mark of 259 days.

“We credit our safety record to increased employee awareness. We revamped our new employee safety orientation, reiterated the goal of no accidents and hung a tracking sign where everyone could see our progress,” said Shuttleworth.

“We’ve increased safety training and have safety updates at the company meetings. We also incorporated safety into our health and wellness program,” Shuttleworth explained. “But,” he added, “it comes down to the people. Our employees have really taken ownership of preventing lost-time accidents.”

Eriez, founded in 1942, not only educates its own employees about the hazards of working with powerful magnetic equipment, but has developed educational initiatives for customers and industry suppliers, according to Shuttleworth.

“Awareness is the first step in any safety-training program. We help alert customers to potential hazards in their work environment by placing ’strong magnet’ warning labels on or next to the area where the magnet is installed,” he said. “The magnets already have warning labels affixed to them when they arrive from Eriez, and we can send additional warning labels upon request.”

Safety starts with common sense and, of course, following safety guidelines, according to Shuttleworth.

“To avoid magnet injuries, customers must make sure their employees know the risks involved with each piece of magnetic equipment and have a basic understanding of how magnets work. Further, they should develop and enforce proper procedures for working around them,” he said.

For more information, call 888/300-ERIEZ or visit www.eriez.com.

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