Safety first and foremost at 3M

Having safety policies is a common feature in many organizations as a standard requirement. However, at 3M Malaysia Seremban Sdn. Bhd., the steadfast policy on employees' safety first and foremost was reflected when the manufacturing plant celebrated its one million man-hours recently.

The milestone marked the number of accident-free hours the plant had accomplished at its Senawang, Negeri Sembilan facility, since it embarked on the one million man-hours campaign in September 1997.

So strong it is emphasis on safety that there's an unwritten rule which says that should an employee's safety become questionable at the production floor, work should cease immediately, even at risk of delayed shipments.

"Safety goals and behavior are reinforced by our Managing Director and every 3M executive visitor. This focus is evident throughout the company. We are into active prevention," said its plant manager, Rainer Wolf.

The Global Safety and Health Plan, 3M's corporate guidelines on safety policies, communicated to all its operations worldwide, Wolf said, are embodied in the plant's safety and health policies executed locally by a Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Committee.

" Any local safety programs we carry out are all based on these mandatory elements," said the plant's safety, health and environmental engineer, Zalinah Mohammad Yusof, whose primary job responsibilities include identifying and appraising hazardous conditions and practices as well as loss producing conditions.

As the safety policies cover employees, machine, and facility, every aspect of safety at the plant is well taken care of.

To communicate the importance of safety to everyone, the management has various communications channels to drive down the message to all employees in the plant.

A variety of mechanisms are in place to prioritize and ensure safety. At top of the safety hierarchy is the need to have the right attitude towards safety. Safety is also a component of the employees' appraisal system. Not overlooked is housekeeping which is a key factor in creating a safe environment for all.

The manufacturing plant is currently on its 1.2 million man-hours without lost-time accidents.