“Innovation and Inspiration”: The 2014 NSC Rising Stars of Safety

The National Safety Council is pleased to recognize the 2014 Class of the NSC Rising Stars of Safety, presented by DuPont Sustainable Solutions. With many outstanding nominations to choose from, 41 honorees were selected. These young professionals are working to address new challenges, promote a cycle of continuous improvement and create initiatives focused on measurable outcomes – key components of the council’s Journey to Safety Excellence. Hailing from locations worldwide, from Bahrain to Canada, this is a diverse group of up-and-coming safety professionals. Representing a variety of backgrounds, including construction, aviation, health care and manufacturing, they all understand that shared responsibility is the foundation of a strong safety culture.

This year’s honorees will be formally recognized during the 2014 NSC Congress & Expo in San Diego, Sept. 13-19. No event is more fitting than one with a theme of “Safety: Putting the pieces together” to acknowledge the innovation and inspiration these individuals bring to the table. These Rising Stars are the future of safety.

I look forward to working alongside each class of NSC Rising Stars. Our first four classes played a major role in introducing the Young Professionals track at Congress & Expo and creating the Young Professionals Division. In launching this new Division, the Rising Stars recognized the need for a group tailored to the forward-thinking leaders of tomorrow. I can only imagine how much more they will accomplish in the years ahead.

Congratulations to this year’s NSC Rising Stars of Safety. We know that safety takes collaboration, and that more lives are saved and injuries prevented when we work together.

Sincerely,

Deborah Hersman
President and CEO, National Safety Council

"The National Safety Council is pleased to recognize the 2014 class of the NSC Rising Stars of Safety, presented by DuPont Sustainable Solutions." Read the complete introduction by Deborah Hersman, president and CEO, National Safety Council.

	Hesham Abdulla 36 HSE Coordinator Aluminum Bahrain Manama, Bahrain
“Hesham revamped the health and safety Internal Audit Program. He reviewed the previous plans and found many gaps. He initiated a new plan for driving the internal audit. The plan started by compiling a legitimate inventory of qualified/authorized lead auditors and internal auditors. It was discovered that most of the HSE coordinators were not qualified auditors and needed to be enrolled into a training course. With a limited number of auditors, this made the executing stage very challenging. Yet Hesham managed to arrange the audit plan using the available number of auditors to serve the given purpose of auditing the health and safety management system in the organization. The outcome was outstanding and was labeled as one of the best internal audits that the organization performed.”
	Mike Anthony 38 Safety Manager City of Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
“Prior to Mike’s hiring, safety was more of a ‘suggestion’ than a standard. By re-training the employees’ thought process, there was a new, overwhelming acceptance of safety into the daily operations. By on-boarding managers and supervisors, the success continued. And by getting employee input through focus groups, the idea of safety became a part of the workforce. Mike’s patience and persistence gained momentum, and word quickly spread that safety is part of everyone’s responsibility. Mike empowered the employees to champion for safety.”
	Jerry Arnold 38 Safety Manager Woodward Design+Build New Orleans, LA
“In 2009, Jerry led Woodward to require all construction managers within the company to receive OSHA 10 training. This universal training of construction managers gives Woodward a solid foundation to train and increase employee knowledge of workplace hazards and preventative measures. Jerry also created a training system with assigned training for all of Woodward’s various divisions and instituted weekly toolbox topic trainings in the field. In addition to these proactive measures, in 2009, Jerry began to conduct an average of 500 jobsite inspections each year to identify and correct hazards.”
	Trevor Atherton 35 Safety Manager Gribbins Insulation Co. Evansville, IN
“Trevor’s safety initiative resulted in the creation of our industry-leading ‘Surveying At-Risk For Elimination’ (SAFE) Program. Trevor developed and implemented this peer-to-peer behavior-based safety observation program. Employees are trained to conduct observations and critique at-risk behaviors in fellow workers. Relying on a ‘no name, no blame’ philosophy, no names are recorded, eliminating the possibility of reprimand for a negative observation. The observations are collected and analyzed, and at-risk behaviors are relayed back to employees through customized safety meetings. A crowning achievement of this process was receiving Accreditation for World-Class Behavior Based Safety through the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies at Marathon Petroleum Co. in Robinson, IL.”
	Nicole Brooks Taylor 37 Safety, Health and Environmental Program Manager National Park Service Cape Cod National Seashore Wellfleet, MA
“Ms. Taylor was hired in 2003 by Cape Cod National Seashore during a tumultuous period following a woeful OSHA inspection that reported the complete lack of a safety program and culture. She began developing the program … and led the change by developing and implementing effective programs and tools to build the foundation, creating over 30 standard operating procedures, targeted training to increase leadership and employee capacity, and led employees in the development of over 45 job hazard analyses. She engaged leaders at all levels to gain necessary commitment and advocated for increased employee involvement. She raised the bar from mere compliance to safety excellence.”
	Jonathan Briley 39 Senior EHS Specialist Pfizer Inc. Memphis, TN
“Jonathan led the development of a very successful Leading Metrics program to replace Incident Rates as the primary EHS metric. He developed a program that was flexible and adaptable, yet maintained a standard that allowed Leading Metrics to be selected, reported and trended in a wide variety of business units in a meaningful way. In addition to creating the methodology for metrics selection and summary, Jonathan created SharePoint-based tools that enable multi-site reporting from all over the world and developed SharePoint-based sites for site-level data collection and organization.”
	Cindy Brock 34 JMC Lead Safety Engineer Army Joint Munitions Command (JMC) Safety Dept. Rock Island, IL
“Cindy created a process to assist 48 safety professionals within JMC to obtain Army Career Program 12 and Explosives Safety certificates. The extensive training (58 courses) provides safety professionals with career-broadening safety education. Cindy was visible and out front by completing the courses ahead of others. She authored procedures adopted by the Army to guide careerists toward completion of the training. Cindy remains engaged by counseling, instilling hope, developing training schedules and mentoring others. Her efforts increased safety professionals’ completion rates from 21 percent to 67 percent in two years – the highest completion rate of any Army Materiel Command’s nine subordinate commands.”
	Garrett Bush 38 Regulatory Compliance Manager Pike Enterprises Inc. Mount Airy, NC
“Garrett has conducted numerous gap and cost benefit analyses to demonstrate return on investment of safety initiatives. These initiatives include creating a web-based Compliance Crew Audit Form focusing on driver, fleet, hazmat and work zone safety, and aiding in the development and implementation of a driver training program that includes distracted driving. He spearheaded the successful implementation of a drug-free workplace program, which promotes workforce education on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Garrett is a member of Task Team Four of the OSHA Electrical Transmission and Distribution Partnership. He led efforts to conduct a companywide safety stand-down on the partnership’s best practices.”

	Jason Chilton 35 Senior HSE and Facilities Leader Honeywell Aerospace Anniston, AL
“Under Jason’s leadership, the site has implemented a layered audit process, which begins with site employees identifying and reporting hazards, safe behaviors and at-risk behaviors through the ‘HSE Observation’ system. The next element involves leadership teaming up to perform specific audits of areas within and outside of the facility. Within a two-week period, the entire site is audited using targeted audit forms that challenge the auditors to look for hazards in the area and ask employees questions around safety in their daily activities. The audit schedule rotates quarterly to allow everyone the opportunity to audit with Jason. This helps increase the HSE acumen of each leader. Within each team, the site has trained safety monitors to act as a team focal [point] for safety issues.”
	Kyle Cutsail 28 Global Safety Program Manager Solenis Hanover, PA
“When Kyle took the lead role, he brought an idea of creating a low-risk lifestyle in our employees. His vision was clear: If we reduced overall risk tolerance in every aspect of our employees’ lives, we would be focusing on the core of work-related injuries. Our group was ready for an observation program, but many of our employees work alone, and peer observations would be difficult. Kyle created a hybrid observation program focusing on trending risks that our field employees were overlooking day to day. As we learned to use the tool, Kyle encouraged the employees to take it home, using the auto-related on a son or daughter; the ladder-related on a neighbor. Soon we had as many quality at-home observations as at work. Employees have made the tool a part of their everyday life, not limiting risk reduction to on-the-clock hours.”
	Aaron Davis 35 Supervisory Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Marine Corps Installations Pacific, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler Okinawa, Japan
“Aaron spearheaded the implementation of a monthly skills enhancement training exercise as a initiative to enrich the aptitude of safety specialists within the Installation Safety Office and to ensure the accuracy of facility and operational safety inspections. These training sessions have contributed to a higher degree of proficiency throughout the safety office and have provided a greater awareness of the trade-specific equipment, laws and national consensus standards used to enhance the application and enforcement of force preservation awareness and risk mitigation methods within the overall military community. This corresponds to a more informed safety staff capable of better identifying and mitigating risks.”
	Shane Deaton 36 Safety Director Henry Bros. Co. Hickory Hills, IL
“In 2012, Shane piloted a program of safety data reporting utilizing smart devices. With a minimal budget, Shane tackled the safety audit for project sites. Using a low-cost iPad program, superintendents were given a site-specific safety audit that allowed thorough investigations with photos to be sent to upper management and other safety representatives for swift hazard resolution. He then incorporated Job Safety Analyses, Site-Specific Safety Plans, Lifting Guides, Interactive Toolbox Talks, and face-to-face weekly safety meetings between office and field personnel. At less than $100 per site, he achieved a perfect safety record DART rate for 2013, the company’s first in 13 years. Expanding on this success, HBC principals invested in a fully customizable interactive safety program, directed by Shane, which allows real-time safety updates and problem-solving attributes customized for employees from new hires to the top HBC construction officers.”
	Tehzin Dhanani 34 Health, Safety and Environment Manager Enwave Energy Corp. Toronto, Canada
“Some real-life efforts that Tehzin has brought to the forefront include: Inserting a safety component into our project charters so that safety hazards are thought through prior to a project getting underway Creating safety hazard observation cards Introducing near-miss reporting cards so incidents that do not result in injuries are monitored and remedied before a similar incident occurs Investigating incidents using the 5-why technique so the real root cause and apparent root causes of the incident can be identified and the most effective corrective actions are developed.”
	Ami Gore 39 Safety Administrator Orange County Government Orlando, FL
“Ms. Gore saw a great opportunity to save the county money, reach out to employees, and effectively facilitate the creation of a positive safety culture by establishing an in-house safety training program for all employees at the site. She is an American Heart Association trainer for CPR, AED and first aid, and an authorized OSHA trainer. These credentials allow her to provide safety training in over 100 safety topics, and allow employees an opportunity to receive credentials. Not only do the employees receive valuable skills and information, but qualifications at the same time, which assist with motivation and interest in attending training classes. She has also provided free safety training throughout the community.”
	Calvin Grade 34 Technical Sergeant 730 Air Mobility Squadron Yokota Air Base Yokota, Japan
“Upon arrival to our organization, Calvin immediately completed a comprehensive trend analysis. This analysis reviewed all reported accidents, identified safety hazards and safety inspection results for previous years. The results of this analysis made Calvin believe there was much room for improvement. He expressed concern that supervisors and managers might not have a clear understanding of the safety and health requirements that affected their employees. Calvin took it upon himself to establish an installation-wide OSHA outreach training program and has since trained 121 managers. Since establishing this program, the amount of safety hazards identified by supervisors to the Safety Office has tripled.”

	Mike Hill 32 Regional Safety Manager Performance Contracting Inc. Lenexa, KS
“Previously, we conducted the equivalent of an OSHA 30-hour class with superintendents, project managers, estimators, etc. We have approximately 75 general managers and operation managers. Mike suggested that we have a Management Safety Summit (MSS), which would bring in three separate classes of 25 managers in which we could emphasize our safety program at a management level. We feel this safety summit has taken our safety program over the top. We celebrated our best safety year and are on pace to improve on that this year.”
	Drena Howard 33 Associate Director, Global Retail Estée Lauder Companies Inc. New York, NY
“Drena developed – from scratch – more than 10 custom online courses for compliance and best practices for North America. She drove creativity and innovation by mastering the software while blending key compliance requirements with policies. Drena successfully reimagined our safety communications to brand leaders with an emphasis not only on the data but key wins and clear directions for improvement. She implemented engaging teachings directly to our retail stores, including posters, emails and seasonal webinars.”
	Ross Jambon 30 HSE Specialist Baker Hughes Inc. Houma, LA
“Ross is to be credited for revitalizing the Student Chapter of the Bayou Chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers. For many years, the Student Chapter was rather dormant, having only several students who attended the monthly meetings. Ross, along with the help of a few of his peers, who he gives so much credit to, worked extra hours with the students to show them the value of being an active member of the society. Due to his efforts, at each monthly meeting, there has been an increase in student participation, which has benefited both the student and the society. He also works, through the Bayou Chapter of ASSE, with the public to instill a focus on safety off the job as well.”
	Jennifer Johnston 39 Entry Level Professional Program Manager Georgia-Pacific Atlanta, GA
“Jennifer leads and manages the Safety Entry Level Professional (ELP) Program. She recruits candidates for GP and, based on team input, recommends candidates for hire. Jennifer provides guidance to the ELPs in the area of technical skills, manufacturing operations and building leadership capability. She is actively developing the future safety leaders for GP. During her tenure as Program Manager, 17 ELPs have graduated from the program and earned permanent placement within the company, and 28 have begun their career with GP. Since 2007, the ELP program has achieved a 77 percent retention rate.”
	Tanya King 38 Human Resources Manager and Safety Director Duke’s Landscape Management Hackettstown, NJ
“As the safety program has evolved, Tanya is continually trying to keep the training materials and learning process as fresh and engaging as possible. Safety training now can be anything from playing charades or a popular game show, to a hands-on round-robin safety rodeo event, where employees are schooled on our standard safety practices. Not only did Tanya want the company to experience the direct benefit of improved safety practices, but she also wanted our employees to realize a benefit as well. Tanya implemented our monthly safety raffle – on a monthly basis, three employees without safety violations are randomly selected to receive a $100 gift card.”
	Rachel Kumar 29 Senior Industrial Hygienist, Environment, Safety, Security and Health Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Aiken, SC
“Most recently, while conducting an occupational hazard evaluation in a half-century-old facility, her keen observation skills identified an intermittent noise hazard. After measuring the noise dose, she determined that it could exceed established guidelines under certain work conditions. She took the data she collected and collaborated with engineering to design an engineering control that would attenuate noise levels. She also instituted immediate administrative controls to reduce noise levels below guidelines.”
	Corey Lemmon 32 Senior Manager, Environmental, Health and Safety Philips Respironics Murrysville, PA
“Corey led the first OHSAS 18001 Multi-site certification in Philips Healthcare history. By developing and implementing this Safety Management System, multiple sites around the world previously separated by business units and management teams are allowed to pool resources and gain strength through innovation and safety leadership. Separate site EHS teams under Corey’s direction work together on projects and initiatives that were never previously shared.”
	Arturo Lopez 27 Senior HSE Specialist, Emergency Response and Security Lyondellbasell – CCO Facility Corpus Christi, TX
“Arturo has taken a significant approach to the building of the Port’s new Safety Program. He believes that taking a personal approach is the most successful way to molding the foundation of the safety culture. Arturo makes it a point every safety meeting that he holds to have a small one-on-one conversation with employees. Arturo creates his safety program by building strong personal relationships with his co-workers with the intent to outsource his safety messages and allowing them to stick. He makes safety personal by telling hypothetical stories to his peers about how taking shortcuts on the job can affect not just their work life, but their personal life as well. He helps his workers understand that his job is to make sure they go home safe to their families.”

	Maryanne Martin 35 Compliance Safety and Health Officer OSHA St. Louis, MO
“Maryanne coordinates the office inspection targeting program focusing OSHA’s enforcement efforts in the high-hazard construction industry. To date, 531 inspections have been conducted and over 1,000 serious hazards have been eliminated under this initiative. She also conducted a fatality investigation, uncovering 18 life-threatening hazards that impacted 65 employees.”
	Sandra Merritt 36 Environmental, Health and Safety Manager Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems Fort Wayne, IN
“Sandra’s success can be demonstrated by the results of the July 2013 OSHA VPP Assessment, where only six 90-day items were identified. Key to that success was her development of the EHS Stewardship Program. She inspired over 100 employees to volunteer as EHS Stewards: Safety Team members that conduct monthly compliance inspections, first responders that are trained to assist co-workers during medical emergencies, and safety wardens who ensure everyone evacuates during a fire or shelters during severe weather.”
	Anthony Miller 39 Vice President, SH&E Parsons Corp. Charlotte, NC
“Anthony has taken the lead in establishing the Parsons’ Stop Work Initiative, a commitment signed by each member of management and communicated to all Parsons’ staff, where each employee has the right and obligation to speak up and ‘Stop Work’ without repercussion if they feel something is not right. He also led the effort in the development of the Personal Safety Action Plan for Executive Staff, which is framed and visible in each Executive’s office, highlighting his or her safety values. Lastly, Anthony engages management and staff in teaching moments about how they should bring the strong safety culture we have at work back to the home for the benefit of their families.”
	Rhonda Piggee 30 SHE Manager DSM Nutritional Products Freeport, TX
“Rhonda has worked on many safety initiatives in the last year. The primary initiative … is the creation of our Custom Chemical PPE Poster. Rhonda was able to mainstream the PPE selection for over 23 of the most frequently used hazardous chemicals we use onsite, which decreased the time it takes operators, maintenance and contractors to conduct risk assessments on tasks and issue safe work permits. The Custom PPE poster is a great visual tool, which allows at-a-glance PPE selection.”
	Megan Raines 36 Global Director – Safety and Training Dresser-Rand Corp., Synchrony Business Unit Salem, VA
“Megan regularly serves as a team member during development of global safety procedures. Additionally, she is the subject matter expert to guide other safety personnel through compliance questions, and frequently provides other assistance to the safety team. Locally, Megan is well-known for her ability to engage employees from all disciplines to solicit and implement their suggestions to improve safety performance. Last year, her facility was one of the highest-performing across the entire company for ‘Process Innovations Per Employee,’ a leading indicator tracking process improvements implemented. Megan also regularly communicates off-the-job safety tips with employees. When presenting workplace safety training, Megan often includes information about how to apply the information off the job as well.”
	Shahzad Rasheed 28 Manager Responsible Supply Chain Bulleh Shah Packaging Pvt. Ltd. Punjab, Pakistan
“Shahzad believes in changing systems on practical grounds. To date, he has suggested a number of improvements to change the safety behavior of shop floor workers. He makes people understand how important safety is for themselves and their family. He has trained new employees and teams visiting the site. He has also developed an employee safety training module according to company demand, which is now helping in developing valuable resources. He organizes 30-minutes sessions on behavioral safety each week to educate different department individuals in improving company safety culture.”
	Dustin Richartz 36 Senior Loss Control Consultant Lockton Companies Denver, CO
“Dustin led the ASSE Colorado Chapter in the 2011/12 chapter year as president and served on the PDC Planning Committee. He was able to facilitate the necessary volunteers to make the events successful, while also earning a Chapter Star Designation. Not only was the PDC a huge success, but it also included the formation of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of ASSE, which was previously the Northern Colorado Section of the Colorado Chapter. In his role on the PDC Planning Committee, Dustin gained participation from the two Colorado Chapters to successfully plan 13 technical tours and recruit over 100 volunteers to serve on the Meet and Greet Team and to fill the Session and Technical Tour Moderator needs.”

	Chris Shieldsmith 32 Corporate Ergonomics Specialist Cummins Inc. Columbus, IN
“In 2008, Chris joined the company as a Safety Engineer at the Columbus Midrange Engine Plant (CMEP). Six months later, the HSE Manager left the site and the position was not filled for over two years due to economic conditions. During this two-year period, Chris questioned the status quo at the site and challenged the leadership to take ownership in correcting safety hazards. Chris made it a point to spend countless hours on the shop floor, listening to the employees and understanding their work and environment. Chris was promoted to the site Safety Leader position and continued in that role for another two years.”
	Matthew Stangle 39 Vice President, Risk Management Division Insurance Force Annapolis, MD
“Matt designed RiskForce and SafetyForce to help small-business owners manage their risk and provide tangible results. A score of 1-10 is given in five categories. SafetyForce is the executable plan that helps reduce losses through a consistent reinforcement of safety. One tactic to assist small business owners who don’t have a designed safety person is SafetyForce’s SafetyAlert Service. For example, this past winter our area had an ice storm. We wanted to remind our client’s employees to not park vehicles under a tree. Instead of having the owners try to communicate this, we sent a text to all employees. The results of a consistent safety message are seen by comparing their RiskForce score from the prior year. Typical results show an increase of about 2 points (20 percent).”
	Jason Townsell 34 Manager, SHE AECOM Los Angeles, CA
“As Program Safety Manager, Jason coordinates over 139 contractors working on over 375 projects. Daily, he oversees safety on over $3 million of construction work, 2,000 daily aircraft operations, and over 75,000 automobiles operations. This is a significant position for a young SH&E professional. Jason leads a team of seven safety professionals; has a strong leadership style; displays the ability to empower others to succeed; and balances recognition, training and leading metrics to achieve consistent improvements.”
	Jeff Ullian 37 Manager ESH Training Argonne National Laboratory Lemont, IL
“Jeff’s department in FY13 provided over 39,700 hours of required training to employees/contractors/users. In addition, he leads an ongoing safety leadership training effort that enhances the safety leadership skills of senior/middle managers and supervisors. In 2007, he led the development and implementation of Argonne’s first Safety Leadership Training for over 500 employees. The training included discussions of leadership, safety commitment and safety leadership principles. In 2011, Jeff led the development and implementation of Workplace Observation Conversation training to enhance supervisor skills that enable meaningful workplace conversations with employees about their safety concerns and possible solutions. The initial training included over 600 employees and is required for new supervisors.”
	Andrew Valentine 28 Business Unit Safety Manager Gilbane Building Co. Arlington, VA
“Andy’s easy-going personality and his passion for safety is so strong that he can talk to anyone about this subject. He volunteered to teach classes for new Gilbane employees to show the importance of safety, is actively involved in the ASSE in the Northern Virginia area, and volunteered to teach our sub-contracting community Incident and Injury Free (IIF) safety. Last year, he accomplished a feat to reach every job that required this training, set up and planned the events, and was so successful that each and every evaluation resulted in the highest marks and great comments, and at the end of the day, each contractor wanted to be part of the journey.”
	Adonay “Dave” Varela 33 Emergency and Continuity Planning Program Manager Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport, RI
“While serving as the Safety Management System Program Manager, Adonay implemented OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program at Division Newport. This effort included management, labor and OSHA working together to prevent fatalities, injuries and illnesses by focusing on hazard prevention and control, worksite analysis, training, and management commitment and worker involvement. These efforts extended to a Safety Slogan contest, a Kids Safety Poster contest and the communications program ‘Why I work safe.’ The goal of all three projects was to prioritize safety in the workplace. Adonay implemented a Job Hazard Analysis program, a fall protection program, a safety orientation training program and a self-inspection program. He also developed a comprehensive safety briefing that is part of first-day orientation for new employees at Division Newport.”
	Ryan Vieau 35 Vice President Lakehead Painting Co. Superior, WI
“With his employees, Ryan talks a lot about family and why it’s so important to not only earn a dollar for your family, but also to return safely to them at the end of each day. Over the last three years, Ryan attained his certification so he could train and certify employees in First Aid and CPR. Not only does he train Lakehead’s entire crew, but he also opened the doors to the employees’ family members to get trained and certified. Neither Ryan nor the company charge the family members for the costs associated with this training.”

	Magnus Wallen 40 HSE Manager URS Corp. Jacksonville, FL
“Magnus had observed an increasing trend in material handling equipment breaking down, malfunctioning and not passing inspections with increasing frequency. Believing that minor repairs were no longer sufficient, Magnus initiated and led an effort to submit a capital expense request to replace some of the equipment. After compiling estimates and conducting a presentation to government stakeholders, the request was approved to replace 27 forklifts over a 24-month period. Four new pieces of equipment that eliminated operator exposure to hazards were also procured.”
	Catherine White 36 Associate Industrial Hygiene Specialist The Dow Chemical Co. Midland, MI
“Cathy spent three years implementing multiple safety programs for the startup of a $132 million newly constructed five-story manufacturing process. The project celebrated over 1 million man-hours injury-free as a result of her efforts in establishing a safety culture of early reporting using leading indicators of safety performance. Cathy created a multidisciplinary plant safety team of hourly and salaried workers and led a cultural change where workers felt comfortable to stop a task and seek assistance if they felt it was unsafe. The workgroup was empowered to correct identified hazards prior to an injury occurring. Over 200 safety suggestions were entered with 90 percent resolved within two months, which was posted on their status board for tracking leading indicators.”
	Andrea Ziegenhagen 25 Safety Manager Tru Vue Inc. Faribault, MN
“Andrea created a Safety Incident Reporting Database that guides supervisors not only through the reporting process, but also ensures thorough and consistent investigations, root cause determination and the assignment of corrective actions for all safety incidents. As a result of improved incident data, communication has also improved so all shifts are able to discuss each incident, and managers are held accountable for corrective actions. The new process allows our business to continually track and identify incident trends, correct hazards, provide follow-up care to injuries, and increase awareness among our employees. A year after the process was implemented, Tru Vue celebrated one year without an OSHA recordable incident, for the first time in the company’s history.”
	Brian Zoeller 39 Vice President of Safety and Security Neenah Enterprises Inc. Neenah, WI
“Upon starting the job at Neenah Foundry, Brian found that one of the most common injuries was upper-extremity soft tissue injuries in our new hire group. Brian initiated a work hardening program for all new hires, which involved collecting injury data for three months, creating a structured stretching program and a transitional work hardening schedule. The transitional work hardening schedule was implemented in our finishing departments, which had the greatest exposure and occurrence of incidents. After implementing the work hardening program for our new hires in the finishing departments, it yielded a decrease in recordables by over 60 percent. This positive influence triggered a corporatewide stretching program.”