Workplace Safety
Protecting Employees in Composites Manufacturing with Personal Protective Equipment
Composites One is a value-driven organization that is committed to safety. The core value, Commit to Safety, Health and Environmental Responsibility, is weaved into the fiber of Composites One, and carried out through the efforts of our dedicated Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) Team.
Cynthia Tarka is Director of HS&E at Composites One, and it’s her role to ensure that companywide, Composites One is diligent about living up to its safety core value by proactively protecting all employees in their various working environments. In addition to Team Member safety, the HS&E Team is also a resource for Composites One customers. The number one priority for both is to be responsive to questions and inquiries, which are often fielded from the Composites One distribution centers across North America.
At Composites One, every Team Member signs a safety pledge. Cynthia explains, “Whether their role is Administrative, as a Customer Service Representative or a Technical Service Representative, or working in the Warehouse or as a Driver, everybody is signing a safety pledge, which is a personal commitment to safety. That’s important because there is an expectation from Composites One as the employer that there is personal accountability to safety.”
Commitment to safety
Distribution Center employees receive a comprehensive safety orientation. Training on safety standards and protocols begins on day one of employment for new hires, including the necessity of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in the work setting. “It is important that employees are informed about the machinery and equipment that is in their work environment and what types of tasks they will personally be doing. Managers dedicate time to hands-on training to make sure their Team has immediate practice at performing the tasks they will be responsible for,” says Cynthia.
The safety orientation schedule is designed for the information to be effectively retained by new employees. The Personal Protective Equipment program is one critical component of the safety protocols. There are also written safety procedures that consider all potential hazards in the workplace, which also detail the corresponding PPE that is essential for protection. Team Members are required to complete ongoing safety training, with courses dependent on their job title.
New hires at Composites One distribution centers are required to complete a set of safety training videos related to their role within the company. The HS&E Team also runs a safety incentive bonus program, which Cynthia says is effective in motivating and incentivizing employees and distribution centers to comply with safety regulations, including using their PPE consistently and accurately. The HS&E Team conducts audits and verifies forms electronically to ensure Team Members are keeping up.
Composites One customers have access to HS&E safety resources including an “Ask the Compliance Expert” email and a website for questions related to safety and regulatory issues. Customers also have access to safety training through a video library which is available upon request for a 30-day period.
Hazard reduction before PPE
While PPE is critical in protecting workers in composites manufacturing, it is meant to serve as a last line of defense, with exhaustive considerations coming first to protect employees. Cynthia explains that there is a hierarchy of controls dictated by OSHA through elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE. “You try to eliminate the hazards, if possible; you should be thinking about how to make tasks inherently safer. Along with using PPE, you should really be thinking broader—overall, what can I do to reduce the hazards?”
For example, in warehouse locations where temperatures and humidity are more severe, the team conducts heat stress training for employees. Workers are given cooling breaks and provided with cooling towels, fluids and even freezer pops. Fans are placed near open doorways to create a breeze and employees are given more frequent breaks. If a hazard cannot be controlled by elimination, substitution or engineering, an administrative control such as job rotation could be used.
HS&E Resources
Internal resource site
The HS&E Team at Composites One maintains an internal site that houses safety information on various programs, as well as why employees need to use PPE, how to use it properly and what safety precautions should be taken. For instance, for employees who are required to wear respirators, the Respiratory Protection Program includes extensive instruction on performing fit tests, which are required annually, to ensure a good seal on the respirator, plus instructions on how to use the respirator properly in the work setting.
PPE equipment checks
Each employee required to have respirators receives a PPE bag during their safety orientation, which is required to be checked each month to ensure all equipment is present and in working condition. The PPE may include a Tyvek® suit, safety goggles and glasses, chemical resistant gloves, aprons and boots, respirators, and dust masks.
Annual allotments of protective gear
For drivers or warehouse workers who wear prescriptive eyewear, Composites One offers a pair of prescription safety glasses every two years with a current prescription, and with a variety of safety glasses to choose from. Cynthia says, “For workers who wear prescriptive eyewear, sometimes that is overlooked by an employer, and you want to make sure they're comfortable and that there's no reason not to wear the PPE. The allotment encourages employees to have their own PPE that fits nicely.”
Similarly, through the Composites One Safety Shoe Program, each applicable employee is entitled to order two pairs of steel-toed safety shoes per year.
Spill response drills
Each year, a hands-on spill response drill is conducted at each Composites One distribution center. The drills require warehouse personnel and drivers to practice spill response procedures and, while enacting a spill simulation, all workers must don their respective PPE items.
Leadership support
Each Composites One distribution center is required to hold a weekly Safety Talk, and a member of the Leadership Team attends three Safety Talks every year. “At Composites One, safety protocols are supported and adhered to by Leadership from top to bottom. When leaders visit the distribution centers, they wear the appropriate PPE for the environment, so it really sets the standard by Leadership for the value of protecting yourself by wearing your PPE,” says Cynthia.
The HS&E Team heavily encourages employees to submit comments and concerns as follow-up to the Safety Talks, to present for discussion any new incidents that need to be addressed. Cynthia explains, “It's meant to prompt the Team Members to interact in discussion, rather than just receiving information from corporate. I think that's important to do and it serves the function of a safety committee.”
Cynthia adds, “Safety is built into our Core Values and there is a commitment to safety. It's a priority and it's really refreshing to see a work environment that says it and actually means it. I attend Leadership meetings regularly and the first thing we cover is safety. There's a perception that it slows things down, but in reality, it’s a way to keep everyone safe; your people are your biggest resource, so it's important to keep them healthy.”
In addition to the efforts of the HS&E Team to keep Team Members safe, Composites One is committed to supporting customers’ efforts to keep all employees safe on the job. Composites One offers a wide variety of PPE products that customers may order directly, including Tyvek® products, N95 masks, respirators, earplugs, safety glasses, gloves, and more. For more information about safety products available from Composites One, click here.