Schiller Grounds Care achieves safety milestone
Schiller Grounds Care, Inc., manufacturer of BOB-CAT, Bunton, Classen, Little Wonder, Mantis, Ryan and Steiner brand outdoor power equipment, recently achieved a workplace safety milestone in its Johnson Creek, Wis., facility, reaching four million man-hours without a lost-time injury. To better appreciate the significance of such an accomplishment, it took the dedication of every employee of the Johnson Creek facility nearly 12 years to work four million hours; to do so without a single lost-time injury is an extraordinarily rare accomplishment. So rare in fact, the Liberty Mutual Group awarded Schiller its Silver Safety Excellence Award for safety excellence in the workplace.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment, and I am proud of everyone on the team, as it truly is a team effort,” said Pat Cappucci, president and COO of Schiller Grounds Care, Inc. “There is no way that we could have accomplished this without every single person chipping in to make safety a priority in the workplace. Even more significant, this award is evidence that our team takes personal pride in operating in a safe, clean and organized environment.”
Schiller supports a safety-first workplace environment. Compliance to the safety management system is the minimal requirement. Through the implementation of sound industry practices and the inclusion of pertinent elements of industry-supporting programs such as Lean Manufacturing, ISO, 5S and others throughout the years, Schiller has created a proactive safety environment where employees are encouraged to, and do, participate in being safety conscious.
Key elements of Schiller’s safety program are as follows: 1) Near miss, where employees identify leading indicators by documenting incident potential in the workplace; 2) Production lines are ergonomic by design with jigs, hoists and lift tables utilized to eliminate potential injuries; 3) Daily ergonomic exercise program for all employees; and 4) Schiller’s rigorous Safety Audit Program requires management and employees to work together to find solutions and create guidelines instrumental in creating and maintaining a safe workplace environment.
Facility functionality is important in creating a safe manufacturing work environment. However, it is management’s commitment combined with employee passion for a safe work environment that have made Schiller’s Johnson Creek facility lost-time injury free for four million man-hours and counting.
