by Rob Levandoski, CSP, CIH, CHMM
Last year we introduced you to our revamped Corporate Health and Safety Program, PriorityZerØ. As a health and safety program is never meant to be static, we have been steadily monitoring and modifying our programs and work procedures as we strive to continually improve the work environment for our employees, partners, and clients.
Over the last several months, we have updated our job hazard analysis, created a mobile app for COVID monitoring, released videos on personal safety, purchased new PPE, and improved our fleet inspection process. As a firm we have made a concerted effort to help everyone adapt to the challenges of remote working, emphasizing the importance to have an ergonomically correct workspace regardless of location and focusing on mental health by creating a virtual community and sharing experiences as we continue to deal with the challenges and restrictions created by the pandemic. We should all be proud of our progress.
I am also proud to announce that, in 2020, we had zero OSHA recordable events. This notable accomplishment is due to the focused efforts of all of our employees. When we re-vamped our Corporate Health and Safety Program, we placed special emphasis on safety being a shared responsibility. We knew that we needed to create a culture that would give everyone a voice, one that acknowledged that those using the practices had unique insight about how those practices could be improved, and one that created a safe conduit for feedback and change.
A full year without a recordable event is great evidence that our vision for an accident-free workplace is working. And while we should pause to celebrate this achievement, we must not rest on it. We must continue to evolve, continue to look, learn, and adapt. Over the coming year we will continue to implement more improvements, and we will share those with you. We also ask for your help. Again acknowledging that safety is a shared responsibility, we ask that you continue to remain actively involved and take time to invest in the safety of your workplace. We welcome input and ideas to make our workplace and operations safer. Please call me or forward an e-mail with your thoughts (rlevandoski@fando.com).
It is rewarding to see so many colleagues across the organization recognizing the value of safety and providing solutions that establish proactive safety measures. I’d like to thank everyone for their efforts over the last year and look forward to your observations and suggestions in the new year.
About the Author
Robert Levandoski, CSP, CIH, CHMM is Fuss & O’Neill’s Corporate Safety and Health Officer. Rob has more than 30 years of experience creating health and safety improvements for a large variety of businesses, including corporations, manufacturers, universities, health care providers, and other client types. He is an Emergency Medical Technician, a Certified Safety Professional, a Certified Industrial Hygienist, a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, and an Asbestos Inspector.