Millwood’s Nashville, TN team reached one year without an accident at their facility on June 10, and they celebrated this accomplishment with a luncheon last week.
Plant Manager Andy Alexander emphasized the importance of putting safety front-and-center daily as a key factor in achieving this goal.
“We talk about safety daily and have a visual counter on display in the area we have our daily meetings,” he said. “You need to take that conversation to the floor and live it with your crew through coaching and training.”
Andy explained that once a safety streak begins, it becomes easier to maintain over time.
“I believe getting to the first 50 days is the toughest,” he said. “At 50 days, the plant qualifies for AFD meals, and once that is in play it’s something everybody is involved in and enjoys.”
Andy’s advice to other plant managers, supervisors and teams hoping to reach safety milestones is to focus on messaging and practice.
“I believe plant managers need to be involved with the supervisors. I’m in daily meetings both to help back up my supervisors in all that we do and to make sure we are getting the correct message out there,” he said. “Talk about safety, live it and enforce it. Set the tone!”
Experienced team members play a crucial role in ensuring new employees follow correct safety protocols.
“Turnover in the repair position happens often. I tell my vets to keep an eye out for new people,” Andy said. “If you see them doing something unsafe, stop them from doing it, so the higher the AFD are, the more motivated the team members are on being safe. It becomes contagious.”
Millwood's mission is that all who come in contact with the company would clearly see the love of Christ in all that they do, and that love begins with the safety of team members. The company's goal is for every team member to return home the way they arrived - safe and uninjured. Millwood extends its gratitude to the Nashville team for prioritizing the well-being of themselves and others.