The Millwood team in North Haven, CT achieved one year without an accident at their facility on August 23 and celebrated as a team on August 30. The teams on both shifts were treated to a taco and ice cream truck.
“This was a time of rejoicing over the achievement and a great time of fellowship,” Chaplain Millie McFarland said.
Plant Manager Jerry Taylor attributed this success to a collective effort in addressing safety concerns promptly and fostering a culture of safety awareness among team members. He emphasized the importance of aligning everyone's understanding of safety protocols and their individual roles in achieving safety goals.
"At the end of the day, my goal is to get everyone to work safely, get them home safely to their loved ones and in one piece," Jerry said.
For managers and teams aiming to reach similar milestones, Taylor stressed the importance of effective communication and genuine care for the wellbeing of their team members.
“I would advise everyone to listen and understand,” he said. "Once your team members understand and buy in to what we are looking for as far as safety is concerned and showing them that we do care about them and their well-being and also showing them the benefits to reaching our safety goals, everything else will fall in to place."
Jerry also expressed the importance of collaboration in safety, where team members feel empowered to voice their concerns and contribute to one another’s safety. Jerry encourages his team to bring up safety issues, express their ideas with a “see something, say something” approach.
“Listen to your team, because they may see something that you missed,” he said. “Let your team know that their issues are your issues. Everyone feels safer when they see you take what they are saying seriously. My priorities are addressing any and all issues that my team members have when it comes to safety, I never down play anything brought to my attention by a team member no matter how small or insignificant it may seem.”
Safety is Millwood’s top priority, and treating one another with respect, care and gratitude has contributed to making this milestone a reality for the team in North Haven.
“I have an amazing team and making them feel safer and listened to will always be a priority of mine,” Jerry said. “Everyone knows that old saying, there’s no I in team. I accomplished this goal not by myself but with my team, and making the team feel like we all got to this point together makes everyone happy and appreciated.”
Team members expressed that they felt appreciated during their milestone celebration, Millie said.
“All the team members enjoyed this very much, and they expressed how grateful they were to be appreciated,” Millie said. “It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we capped it off with refreshing ice cream for dessert. It was an amazing time had by all.”
Millwood’s mission is that all who come in contact with our company would clearly see the love of Christ in all that we do. Thank you to the team in North Haven for serving that mission by making safety their priority.