"Prevention 360" Targets Workplace Injuries in Manufacturing

One result of the economic downturn was a push by management for even greater productivity from workers, often at the expense of workplace safety and health.

To help reduce worker injuries in today’s work environment, IUE-CWA Local 84755 initiated a work-centered safety and health initiative at Dmax, a GM plant in Moraine, Ohio, named “Prevention 360.”

“Watching shops close and downsize, we have taken a major interest in seeing that our companies are productive and profitable, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of increased injuries to our members,” said local safety and health director Debra Fisher.

“The point of Prevention 360 is situational awareness, training us about being responsive and staying conscious to the 360 degrees of space that is around us.”

The local conducted a thorough review of company processes and procedures, workplace assessments, and job analysis. “The best approach to preventing injuries is to draw on workers’ knowledge, to brainstorm together, develop strong safety and health committees, and in partnership with other unions,” Fisher said.

Training is key to the program’s success, and the union involves workers and managers from many of the 14 other companies where Local 84755 represents workers throughout Ohio. In February, the local held “hazard recognition” training at Dmax, bringing in teams of managers and IUE-CWA members from Tenneco, Dayton Phoenix, Dimco Gray, General Engine Products and other companies.

“We want our members to have a safe workplace and to return to their homes in one piece,” said local president James Winship. Employers are beginning to recognize that our program does produce a safer workplace, he said. “Reducing workplace injuries benefits employers as well.”

Everyone in the local — stewards, members, activists, and officers — gets involved. Winship led a “fall prevention” class that helped workers better identify and recognize risks on the job. At Dmax, for example, members often work 12 feet or more above the ground, over big engines and machinery.

“Training is about developing greater awareness of our workplace and what’s around us. We need to make sure that we are tied off properly in a harness while working high off the ground” and not follow routines that have become second nature, he said.