NSC, Grainger partner to put employers on the ‘Journey to Safety Excellence’

Orlando, FL – The National Safety Council and Grainger have announced a new partnership to help employers achieve continuous safety improvement.

The announcement was made during the Grainger Show on Feb. 9, an annual gathering of the industrial supplier’s customers, as well as product and service providers.

The campaign is set to launch in September and will be based on the Council’s Journey to Safety Excellence, which is a concept of continuous improvement. Four pillars form the basis of the Journey – leadership and employee engagement, safety management systems, risk reduction, and performance measurement.

During a media roundtable, Grainger CEO Jim Ryan described the partnership as part of his company’s increased emphasis on safety. He noted that safety is on customers’ minds in part because of how safety affects the bottom line. Employers recognize a real cost is associated with running an unsafe business, he said, and Grainger’s partnership with NSC will give them tools to assess and enhance their safety effort.

Calling the forthcoming campaign website a “one-stop shop,” Ryan said it will allow employers to analyze and receive advice on relevant safety issues.

Nino Granatiero, vice president of safety at Grainger, told Safety+Health magazine that Grainger has been “underrated in the safety space in terms of how we can marshal resources.” As the company evolves to give safety more prominence in its external reputation, a change will be going on internally with employees receiving continual safety training, he said.

An example of Grainger’s ability to gather resources came from Ryan, who emphasized being proactive about helping customers in the event of a weather disaster. By tracking storm activity, Grainger can predict the type of products and services customers will need and organize rapid response teams to sell onsite, Ryan said.

Regarding the opportunities and challenges facing his company, Ryan spoke of growth internationally and in the area of e-commerce, which has been aided by Grainger’s website redesign and mobile phone application.

A crucial part of Grainger’s business strategy is the employee element. “At the end of the day, great service is delivered by great people,” Ryan said. “I think a lot about having the right people in the right place to satisfy our appetite for growth.”