MURRAY CITY (June 29, 2023) – The Utah Manufacturers Association (UMA) recently held its Safety Awards Expo on June 27 at SLCC Westpointe Campus, where it announced its award recipients for the 2023 Manufacturing Safety Awards.
The Annual Safety Awards Expo is part of the UMA’s ongoing commitment to promoting a culture of safety within Utah manufacturing companies. Since 1905, the UMA has been at the forefront of championing the development of Utah’s manufacturers through legislative representation, workforce development, insurance discount programs, networking events, workplace safety, and much more.
At the awards expo, Todd Bingham, President and CEO of the UMA, recognized one individual for the Safety Leader of the Year Award, three companies for the Superior Safety Award, and 19 companies for the Honorable Mention Award. These awards demonstrate a commitment to workplace safety and implemented innovative safety practices.
Safety Leader of the Year Award
Michael Olsen; Facilities Manager at RAM Aviation, Space & Defense
Michael Olsen has been with RAM Aviation, Space & Defense since September 2016. He transitioned into the Facilities Manager role in June 2019 to oversee the Environmental, Health & Safety, Security, Maintenance, and Janitorial efforts. Since moving into his new role Michael has helped drive positive change in the company’s culture towards safety. Michael has completed training and certification in the following while at RAM Aviation, Space & Defense.
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- OSHA 30 Certification
- OSHA HAZWOPER 40
- American Red Cross Instructor
- First Aid, CPR, & AED
- Bloodborne Pathogens
- Facilitates the trainings and certification of 25+ employees
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Superior Safety Award
Small Manufacturer: Aerospace Aluminum Processing
Aerospace Aluminum Processing has been accident-free since 2019; in total, as of the end of last year, they have worked 307,916 man-hours since their last injury. They proactively look for and address risk hazards in an extremely quick timeframe. Their open-door policy makes it easy for any employee to ask questions. They believe that safety culture is top-notch at Aerospace Aluminum Processing.
Medium Manufacturer: RAM Aviation, Space & Defense
RAM Aviation Space & Defense is committed to its team’s Health and Safety. They maintain multiple programs to help improve the work they do and to ensure each team member goes home in better health than when they arrived each day. They have a Safety Committee that is composed of a mix of Leadership (4 Members) and a Production Team (9 Members) representing each department. The Committee works together to establish best practices and identify potential risks and eliminate them before injuries can occur. Prior to 2020, they struggled to go two months without a recordable injury. With additional focus and effort, they achieved 497 days without a recordable injury on 12/15/2021. Since that injury, have gone an additional 504+ days. They continually work proactively with UMA, UOSH, and Workers Compensation to utilize their industry experts to evaluate our business and our facilities to avoid potential risks.
Their entire team is committed to their health and safety, from their CEO’s commitment to 0 accidents being the only acceptable goal to their production team’s efforts to identify and eliminate any potential hazards.
Large Manufacturer: Campbell Scientific
Campbell Scientific, Inc. has taken great measures to ensure safety is always one of the top priorities. Through the years, their Safety Committee has focused on reporting and taking quick, definitive action with all injuries and safety concerns.
One safety initiative that helped them gain success was focused on X Acto knives. Almost every employee in production uses a knife throughout the day, and through their incident and injury reports, they saw a pattern of cuts. The Safety Committee came together to discuss this issue and conducted some Job Safety Analysis audits and found that many of the employees stored the knife in a cup with the blade uncovered and pointing up. They brought the issue to the Manufacturing Engineer team, who designed a simple holding device that would sit on the desk, hold the knife blade down, had a small footprint, and was congruent with the company branding. They tested the holder with a couple of technicians, who provided feedback. After some small adjustments, they were able to give every technician a holding device and trained them on proper use. After 8 months, they have not had a reported case for cuts. They continue to manage the issue but are happy to have found adequate control for the hazard.
One area that has seen significant improvement in their program is training. Through 2019-present, they have focused on creating and improving the new employee orientation, annual refresher training, and creating programs for groups such as forklift, scissor lift, and crane certifications. In the past, they outsourced this training. It was costly and not as specific as they liked. By creating their own training and certifying instructors in-house, They’ve been able to give their employees immediate knowledge and corrections, increase awareness of safe practices, make their executive teams more aware of the progress, and ultimately improve their safety statistics. They are starting to see the shift from a dormant safety culture to something more active and dynamic. The safety training also give their employees ownership of their area. Some of the best ideas and best awareness have come directly from the employee instead of their safety team.
Award of Excellence Honorable Mention
Large Manufacturers
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The mission of the Utah Manufacturers Association is to strengthen Utah’s manufacturers by developing and providing resources that drive prosperity.