There was an incident in the office this morning.
One of our fellow employees dropped a taquito off the roller grill we had installed in the marketing department. (What can I say, the microwaves are busy at lunch and those rolled hotdogs just make Tuesdays better.) She hit her head on the corner of the desk and dropped to the floor. There is a large miliary presence in the corporate office, and we have many individuals trained in first aid. The situation was handled quickly and efficiently by professionals. Her condition was assessed; she was given the “all clear” to return to work and an official incident report was filed. Our coworker survived with a little bump on the head and finished her taquito without further incident.
While this may seem like an exaggeration, (okay, to be fair we don’t really have a roller grill, and the incident was entirely made up) a culture of safety means following company policy for reportable incidents. As small as the incident might seem, there are potential lessons to be learned from even the most innocuous occurrence. It is Mesa policy to submit an incident report for all safety related accidents and near misses, no matter how small they may seem.
Protecting the Stats?
Back in the wild days of the last century, reportable incidents were not tracked the same way they are today, if they were tracked at all. Back then, statistics were used to track accidents and very rarely were “near misses” documented and studied. Many of us never even considered reporting a situation that could have potentially led to an accident. In fact, if you were not losing a limb or missing work for the foreseeable future, accidents were rarely reported at all. Were we protecting the stats? Or was the theory of accident prevention just that far behind? Or was I just a lot dumber back then? I think a little of all three are applicable to be honest.
It makes me wonder just how many incidents were not documented and how many possible safety situations could have been avoided. Not to say that we were oblivious, but we were much more complacent and neglected to take proper precautions. Unfortunately, many times we were also guilty of protecting our safety record. I can remember supervisors would drill into us how we had to “practice safety” when in reality it was a caution to “gut it out” or keep accidents to yourself. In hindsight, not the best attitude for anyone involved. Fortunately, things have changed for the better.
Mesa Was Founded on Safety
Safety may have changed elsewhere, but Mesa has always embodied a culture of safety since its founding twelve years ago. We have worked hard individually and as a team to forge ahead and leave behind the bad habits that can accompany the generator industry. Where necessary, we practice daily job safety analysis (JSA) huddles. Our team stays current with relevant safety training. We practice job specific safety precautions, yearly safety training, and provide all relevant safety training for our team.
Near misses are documented and the safety team actively investigates each one. You may ask, why would we do this? We believe that our ultimate goal is to provide the safest working environment possible. Yes, we still produce the best natural gas generators, but we can’t do that without the people doing the work and they are not replaceable. Zero reportable incidents is our goal and while it is impossible to anticipate every reportable, we actively chase that goal each day, month, and year.
Keeping Safety on Top
Safety is one of the key pillars that Mesa was built on and it is the cornerstone of our culture. You see, our people look out for each other. When there are issues, they actively take steps to correct the problem and build solutions. Our teams feel empowered to create an atmosphere of accountability and having your teammates back. When that falls into place, safety becomes part of the daily rhythm of work. This ethos can be found in all locations, from the c-suite to the far reaches of field service. If you have a chance, check out the blog from last week about what safety means to Mesa.
Next time you see a Mesa generator out in the field, don’t just pass by without thinking about how many of our incredible teams had a hand in getting it onsite. From engineering, to documentation, to assembly, to quality testing, (and that is not even a complete list of the people involved in bringing a natural gas generator to market.) Each one of them is the reason we put safety on top. If you would like to know more about the people involved in creating the best natural gas generators, our products, and our safety program, please contact us today!
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