How can safety, health and environmental (SH&E) professionals best apply the Operational Excellence approach to their practices?
SH&E professionals working within their own company should first understand their company’s business and participate in their business plans and strategies. Once they understand that, they can then analyze how exposures affect their business plans and overall profitability. They can also look at safety and risk control measures that can be used to eliminate risk exposures. SH&E consultants can add value to customers by looking at how clients’ business operations and exposures affect their ability to maximize profitability. For example, one metalworking machine manufacturer wanted to provide safe lifting training to employees who had suffered serious back injuries and related losses. A consultant evaluated their operations and determined that the manufacturer was achieving only 75% of its productivity goal. The bending involved in picking up heavy parts caused not only back injuries, but also wear and tear on workers, decreased productivity and lost time. By implementing automated and m
