Wabtec Hosts Safety Workout with OpExChange Peers

When Jason Williams proposed hosting a safety-focused event at Wabtec in Greenville, there was significant interest. As the Site Director at the Greenville plant, Jason has been dedicated to developing a robust safety culture over the past three years.

Despite the progress made, he sought collaboration with other OpExChange members to both share advancements they made and gain insights from successful practices at other sites. The event was designed as a safety “workout” with peers across the state, and Wabtec hosted this four-hour session in late August. Participants from fifteen manufacturers and distributors quickly signed up to participate in this workout.

Wabtec’s Greenville facility employs approximately 180 people and was formerly known as Transtech Power Transfer Systems, a company with a 75-year history. This facility specializes in producing pantographs and current collectors that deliver power to electric trains and subways, as well as other products aimed at energy transfer and passenger comfort. Many employees have extensive tenure at the plant and experience in the machining operations related to these products.

Jason joined the team three years ago and noticed that, while there were some elements of a safety system in place, there was not a deep safety program in place. He set out to change that. Over the past three years, the plant has been infusing safety into its culture. Todd Davis, the EH&S manager, noted that “This is a journey. We have by no means arrived.” Their initiatives involve everyone in the facility, including integrating safety into performance objectives. Todd mentioned that by mid-2023, they had started to establish a steady rhythm.

At the start of the event, Todd and Jason described their safety program and steps taken to create change. After a tour of their operations, the group reconvened in the conference room to discuss the safety practices at various sites and identify key elements for fostering a strong safety culture. Although there were different programs and initiatives taking place, the group did highlight four essential characteristics for a deep safety culture to exist:

• Senior Leadership – Active engagement and visible support from top management are crucial.
• Safety Infrastructure – There should be a well–defined structure and tools in place that integrate safety into daily operations.
• Engagement at all levels – Sustaining efforts should be made to encourage employee participation and involvement.
• Behavioral Based Safety – The safety program should be geared to identifying and addressing unsafe behavior.

Leadership Commitment – Beyond the Poster

In nearly all manufacturing and distribution facilities, safety posters and slogans are displayed throughout the site. But do these safety messages truly resonate with employees? Does the top-brass really stand behind the slogan? Representatives from the fifteen participating companies unanimously agreed that for a site to genuinely embrace safety principles, senior leadership must be actively involved in both driving the program, supporting the team, and demonstrating the principles.

When senior leaders are engaged, it signals the organization’s commitment to safety, ensures proper resource allocation, and enhances overall safety performance. Without top-level support and visibility, safety engagement is likely to falter.

At Wabtec, Jason conducts all his staff meetings on the shop floor. He believes in the importance of transparency and visibility across the plant. During these meetings, safety is the top priority, a focus that is evident during the Gemba walks. Safety action items are assigned and prominently displayed on the Leadership Gemba Board.

Several participants noted that their plant manager is actively involved in safety committee meetings. Juliana Wilson from adidas emphasized the importance of leading by example and “walking the talk.” If employees observe that senior leaders do not adhere to the same rules and procedures required of everyone else, it can quickly erode engagement and trust.

Eric Clark from HB Fuller also mentioned that his plant manager participates in the site’s safety committee meetings. He stressed the importance of addressing the more challenging questions that arise in these forums. While the answers might not always be popular, responding with transparency and helping the team understand the rationale will ultimately build trust.

Safety Infrastructure

To ensure that a safety culture is both sustainable and progressive within an organization, it must be systematically integrated into daily operations rather than being a mere afterthought. For some OpExChange companies, this integration is achieved initially through the Hoshin Kanri process and the deployment of their Strategic Plan, which aligns tactical actions with safety objectives. Others incorporate safety into the “Management Responsibility” and “Management of Change” sections of the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system.

Alyssa Bonner, the safety manager at Starbucks’ Sandy Run Roasting Plant, highlighted that their operation uses a two-tiered approach for managing change, with safety being a critical element in both layers. The first tier involves high-level planning where quality, productivity, safety, and engineering considerations are all addressed. The second tier, known as the Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR), involves a thorough examination of potential hazards, required training, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other safety aspects. An example of a PSSR can be found on the Portal.

On a day-to-day basis, safety should be embedded in all operational activities, including 5S practices, work instructions, and job safety aids (JSAs). Both Wabtec and HB Fuller are utilizing a digital platform called Gensuite. This is a cloud-based platform that offers several applications for manufacturing and distribution. From an EHS perspective, it can help with incident management, safety observations, and risk assessments. Jason shared that they are just getting started with this at the Greenville plant but are already realizing huge benefit from this. One of the ways they are utilizing this is for employees to communicate “concern reports” which identify a potential hazard or unsafe condition. An employee can scan a QR code on a phone or tablet, give a summary of their concern, and attach pictures. This is communicated instantly. In addition to being addressed promptly, the data can be analyzed both locally and then corporately, as this is tied to the corporate database.

Some OpExChange members have adopted the ISO 45001 standard, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, which offers an extensive framework dedicated to enhancing employee safety, minimizing workplace risks, and improving overall working conditions.

Engagement

One major topic of discussion was how to engage employees in safety initiatives. Employee engagement frequently comes up in conversations about safety, productivity, and quality. It is widely recognized that effectively connecting with the workforce significantly enhances the potential for improvement. So, what methods are OpExChange members using effectively?

Bryan Sullivan, the EHS coordinator at Rolls-Royce Solutions’ Aiken plant, shared their use of the SafeStart program, which emphasizes human behavior in preventing safety incidents. This program extends beyond the workplace to include safety at home and on the road, fostering a 24/7 safety mindset. Each morning, a volunteer shares a SafeStart story – either personal or work-related – to boost safety awareness. The department with the best safety results earns the honor of displaying the “golden boot” trophy and having a celebratory pizza lunch. Runners-up receive silver or bronze boots. This creates a fun, competitive, and engaging environment. Byran emphasized that the results are not just the absence of incidents. They include several metrics which are primarily about engagement and accident prevention.

At Fitesa in Simpsonville, an hourly safety committee meets bi-weekly with plant representatives. Brandon Marsh, an EHS specialist there, emphasized that the committee is a “safe” space for open communication, where employees can discuss freely. Also, employees who demonstrate safe behaviors on the shop floor receive poker chips that can be redeemed at HR for inclusion on their Forma card. The company also displays results of actions taken based on employee feedback with a sign reading, “You asked. We heard!”

Jason highlighted that involving the entire organization in safety is central to their cultural change at Wabtec. All employees, including those who previously did not visit the factory floor, now have safety engagement as part of their performance objectives. While it required some initial encouragement, this approach is now firmly taking hold, and it shows the shop floor that others care about their safety. Additionally, by turning safety concern reporting into a friendly competition, they’ve seen an increase from 75 reports in all of 2022 to 575 reports year-to-date in 2024!  Jason also includes random hourly workers in his weekly summary meetings, exhibiting transparency and demonstrating that employee concerns are being addressed.

Behavior Based Safety

Mike Cuggy, the Global Operational Excellence Leader at AstenJohnson, presented the Heinrich Triangle to the theory to the team, which illustrates a direct link between unsafe behaviors and serious or fatal incidents. There was broad agreement among participants that individual behaviors are the primary root cause of safety incidents. By reducing unsafe behaviors, the overall safety of the workforce can be improved, leading to a decrease in serious incidents.

Maintaining safety standards, such as following entry procedures, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and performing work in the proper sequence, continues to be challenging for many. One participant noted that their biggest issue at their plant is employees skipping steps and not adhering to procedures.

In a Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) program, trained observers conduct safety reviews, focusing on employees’ behaviors. These observers document both safe and unsafe behaviors, as well as safe and unsafe workplace conditions. They then provide feedback to the employees, emphasizing positive reinforcement. By discussing safer methods for performing tasks, both workers and observers become more conscious of their behavior. BBS programs rely on a continuous feedback loop, where employees and observers exchange input on safety improvements, and safety professionals use the collected data to refine and enhance the program.

Many OpExChange sites recognize the link between behavior and safety incidents and are either implementing or planning to implement BBS programs. For instance, Timken, Dodge Industrial, and Rolls-Royce’s Solutions are all using the SafeStart program. Wabtec is adopting a BBS program from Aubrey Daniels International. Additionally, SCMEP is delivering consulting and training services to many companies in South Carolina on BBS implementations and training.

Safer in South Carolina

Ensuring the safety of our workforce in South Carolina is a collective priority. The recent safety-focused event at Wabtec highlighted key characteristics necessary for fostering a deep safety culture. OpExChange participants agreed on these four critical components necessary for a robust safety culture:

1. Senior Leadership Commitment: Active and visible support from top management is essential. Leadership engagement not only drives the safety program but also demonstrates the organization’s commitment to safety, ensuring proper resource allocation and enhancing overall performance.
2. Safety Infrastructure: A well-defined safety structure and tools integrated into daily operations are crucial. This includes embedding safety into performance objectives and utilizing systems like the Hoshin Kanri process or ISO 45001 standards to align safety with strategic goals.
3. Engagement at All Levels: Encouraging participation from all employees is vital. Effective methods include programs like SafeStart, which integrates safety into daily routines and fosters a 24/7 safety mindset, and initiatives that create a “safe” space for open communication and feedback.
4. Behavioral-Based Safety (BBS): Implementing BBS systems and awareness helps identify and address unsafe behaviors. By identifying and eliminating these root causes to incidents, the frequency of serious incidents can be significantly reduced.

By focusing on these elements, South Carolina’s organizations can collectively enhance their safety culture, ensuring a safer and more productive work environment for everyone.

About Wabtec

Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for the freight and transit rail sectors. Drawing on over 150 years of experience, we are leading the way in safety, efficiency, reliability, innovation, and productivity. Whether its freight, transit, mining, industrial or marine, our expertise, technologies, and people – together – are accelerating the future of transportation.

Our people, with their extraordinary collective talent, vision and experience are our biggest asset. Our dynamic leadership team has a proven strategy to empower over 27,000 employees in over 50 countries around the world.

https://www.wabteccorp.com/

About OpExChange

The OpExChange, an SCMEP program, is a peer-to-peer network of manufacturers and distributors in South Carolina known for generating success for members through benchmarking and best practice sharing. Member companies host events and share practical examples of industrial automation, lean manufacturing improvements, and leadership development. It is an invaluable resource to South Carolina companies that provides access to others who are on similar improvement journeys. If your company is interested in participating in this collaborative effort to improve both the competitiveness of your operation and South Carolina, contact Mike Demos (mdemos@scmep.org). More information and upcoming plant visits are available on the OpExChange website www.OpExChange.com.