Safety Pays Off — In More Ways Than One
You know GIW Industries Inc. as a pump and pump parts producer, but there’s one thing we’re even more proud of than our innovative products: our employees. Not only do we employ some of the hardest working hands and most dedicated minds in the world but we also happen to be home to some of the safest workers as well. That’s why we’re so honored by our recent safety recognition from the Georgia Association of Manufacturers (GAM).
The GAM is a conglomeration of all manufacturers in the state, and they review the Total Recordable Cases (TRC) and Days Away Restricted or Transferred (DART) rates for Georgia-based manufacturers annually. They presented their Safety Award to us at GIW March 29 as recognition for having the lowest TRC and DART rates of Georgia manufacturers in 2016. Each GIW plant will be receiving a plaque to commemorate this prestigious award.
Remarkable safety stats
For a manufacturer of GIW’s size and capacity, this is an impressive feat. In fact, as GIW Environmental Safety and Health Manager Brian Hill points out, our numbers weren’t just lower than average — they were remarkable.
“We had a TRC rate of 2.48 for our Grovetown plant and 2.73 for Thomson plant — and that’s well-below the Bureau of Labor Statistics average of 3.8. Last year, we also had a zero DART rate across all of GIW, which means we had no lost work days at all,” he says. “Right now, we’re over 500 days without a lost-time incident, and that’s pretty amazing considering we’re in very heavy manufacturing.”
A reward for everyone
Getting here certainly wasn’t an accident. From extensive employee training to employee-led safety committees and programs, we work to ensure safety isn’t an afterthought at GIW but an active part of our culture every day.
Everyone at GIW knows the level of effort that’s put in to keep themselves and their co-workers safe — and the ultimate reward is safely sending each employee home to his or her family at the end of the day. However, it’s exciting to receive this public recognition from GAM for everyone’s hard work.
“Every employee wins this award,” Hill says. “It’s a cumulative effect of all the employees being safe themselves and watching out for their fellow employees.”
It’s also a benefit for all our customers who can rest assured that every pump and product that leaves a GIW foundry is created and handled with the utmost care by an attentive, proactive, and safety-minded team. At GIW, we know that a robust safety culture isn’t about the numbers — it’s about the people who care enough make those numbers possible. With the team effort and camaraderie we see at GIW daily, we feel confident we can look forward to beating more safety records in the future!
[cta]To learn more about GIW and how our award-winning team can assist you in all your slurry needs, contact us at 1.888.TECHGIW (832-4449) or visit us online.[/cta]