August 30, 2024 • 28 mins
Episode 290: In this episode, Mike is joined by Kim and George from Pyrotech in Aurora, Ohio, to discuss their innovative safety program, "Find It, Fix It."
Kim Chmelarsky, the safety officer at Pyrotech, and George McSears, the manufacturing manager, share their journey of transforming workplace safety. Discover how they skyrocketed employee participation from 5% to 70% in just nine months and resolved over 250 safety issues.
Learn about the program's origins, the steps involved, and the incredible impact it has had on their safety culture. Find out how Pyrotech's approach empowers employees, reduces maintenance costs, and fosters a competitive yet collaborative environment.
Get inspired by their story and see how you can implement similar strategies in your own organization to enhance safety and employee engagement.
For more information about the PCSC, visit their website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Essentially, if they find it and fix it, it is addressed.
And so now we don't have a safety issue. We also have a person that's proud of what they've done.
And we've also nicked any kind of potential for an ongoing problem because it
used to be that we would just walk past this and not say anything about it.
(00:21):
Maintenance will take care of it or somebody other than me.
So it still would linger. or this is all taken care of in the moment and we are safer as a result.
Welcome to the Portage County Safety Council podcast. We hope you enjoy today's safety talk.
(00:43):
Hi, it's Mike with the Portage County Safety Council. I'm here with Kim and
George from Pyrotech in Aurora, Ohio. Welcome to the podcast.
Nice to be here. Thank you, Mike.
So, Kim, let's start off with you. Just tell us a little bit about yourself
and what you do over at Pyrotech.
I am the safety officer with Pyrotech.
(01:03):
I've been with the company for about seven and a half years,
and I assumed the safety officer role a little over two years ago.
Only two years. Wow. Seems like I've known you forever at the safety council. Seen you every month.
So, George, how about yourself? What do you do there at Pyrotech?
I am the manufacturing manager and I also participated in the team, the safety team.
(01:25):
I've been with Pyrotech for 30 years now.
So Pyrotech won our first ever all new annual safety awards.
You guys won the safety innovation award.
And this is amazing. Like the story just touched me. I was like,
I have to get you on the podcast.
I have to get an interview. The whole safety world needs to hear your guys' story.
(01:45):
So I'm so excited to get this out there. Now, you guys started a program,
and before we get into the nitty-gritty of that program,
I want you guys to share the results of the program because this is the big
thing for people that struggle to get people to participate.
They struggle to get employees to comply. They struggle to improve that safety performance.
(02:07):
I want you all, all the listeners out there, to hear this. Kim,
you said a couple of years ago, before you started this program,
you had 5% participation in your safety program.
And after nine months, I want everyone to hear me out there,
only nine months, what was your participation rate?
Up to 70% participation throughout our entire plant.
(02:31):
It's amazing the steps that we incurred and the big strides that we took in
getting to that point. 70%. It's huge.
70%. And there was also some information that it's like over 250 safety issues resolved.
Now that was back in March and April. I'm sure it's probably even increased even more.
(02:56):
But George, what are some of the other benefits that you think that you've seen
from this program from that production manager standpoint of looking back, I'm so glad we did this.
Employee engagement and the fact that most safety issues can be taken care of
in the moment. I think those are the two biggest benefits.
And our team, the engagement has been really fantastic.
(03:17):
Again, the safety program is called Find It, Fix It. And it encourages and empowers
each employee to not only fix the problem, I mean, once it is located,
but to be recognized for that fix.
It's really been a boom for us. Very good for us. That's awesome.
And I can tell by the look on your faces, it's amazing.
(03:38):
So Kim, tell us a little bit about how this process started.
How did the Find It, Fix It program come into being?
What was the thought process? Take us through that, what it actually is,
and how this kind of came about. out?
It actually started with our ops manager, Kirk Young.
He came to myself and wanted to see if I was interested in assuming the safety
(04:02):
role in our Aurora facility. And I said, yeah, absolutely.
I have definite interest in that. Prior to me assuming that role,
the safety was divided with another individual and they were providing safety
help with various other sites.
So the safety focus wasn't just here.
(04:23):
So now the safety focus is here in Aurora and our employees and keeping everyone
safe and recognizing that and giving them the tools to do what they need to do to fix those.
When we started pulling up those numbers, that's when we found out,
wow, we only have that 5% participation.
(04:46):
After nine months, once again, 70%. The other item that we also noticed is that
we have a maintenance department that we're getting these fixes and creating work orders,
labor, and cost.
And I think everyone knows that maintenance department is normally the highest
paid department normally in a facility.
(05:08):
So by eliminating and reducing all of these immediate fixes,
it has given our maintenance team the ability to work on the larger safety ticket
items that need to be in place. We did have a suggestion.
You were talking about the origins of the Find It, Fix It program.
(05:29):
And we do have some people that have worked at other places before coming here.
We had a suggestion from one of the employees. His name is Ed Nolan.
He absolutely deserves credit for bringing the general idea to the table.
We do have a team that we work with here.
How many individuals on the team? We have 10 individuals on the safety team.
(05:49):
And that brainstorming with the idea that Mr.
Nolan brought to the table, it was refined and turned into this Find It Fix
It program, which, you know, this is an evolution and also the product of a
team and the leadership that Kim provides to make it happen.
So it's definitely an organic experience for Aurora.
I think this is perfect because you hear safety consultants say all the time,
(06:12):
you have to get your employees involved and hear their suggestions.
Now, part of me celebrates that part of me cringes because I've had some over
the years where I've had some really bad ideas and some suggestions of what
we're already doing, you know, those kinds of things.
So as a leader, you tend to like, if you're not careful, you'll tend to disregard
(06:32):
stuff and not put as much value.
But then you get some idea like Ed has here about the find it,
fix it. And it's a goldmine and a game changer.
So, George, help us unpack what is find it, fix it. Give us the overview.
What are the steps that go through to get, you know, between an employee finding
a problem and fixing it? What does that process look like?
(06:55):
So, and Kim, please jump in if I mess up any kind of way, because I provided
a support just the same, but the whole program, it's very, very simple.
If an employee finds something that is outside of our understanding of safety,
say a skid is in the way of a fire extinguisher, and it is something that they
can handle, they have to find a member of the safety team.
(07:18):
There is a what we call a qir we
have an electronic system to report it it is
verified by that team member this is all happening within minutes by the way
so it's documented it's verified by the team member they address the issue so
they'll move say a skid away from the fire extinguisher we need that three feet
(07:38):
and and it's taken care of it's signed off on you took care of a safety issue.
There's not a ticket that goes in for maintenance.
It's really quick and easy. But the reason for the buy-in is because there's
also a drawing at the end of the month and then one at the end of the year.
And Kim could talk about those, but it really encourages others.
(07:58):
And there's a feasible or tangible payback.
Not only that, there's also recognition for a participation.
So yeah, that essentially, if they find it and fix it, it is addressed.
And so now we don't have have a safety issue.
We also have a person that's proud of what they've done.
And we've also, you know, nicked any kind of potential for an ongoing problem
(08:22):
because it used to be that we would just walk past this and not say anything about it.
Maintenance will take care of it or, you know, somebody other than me.
So it's still, you know, would linger.
This is all taken care of in the moment and we are safer as a result.
And Kim, how do you feel this totally shifted your safety culture?
Is there like a complete attitude or atmospheric kind of change,
(08:45):
so to speak, over the culture of your people?
Like they celebrate solving safety issues now. Is it like before it's like,
oh, the safety guy is coming, put your hard hat on and run and pretend you're doing what's right.
And then it's like, or whatever it is, you know, then it's like into like,
hey, we're actually having fun, like creating a safer work environment.
Yes, you can actually see it in the culture out on the work floor.
(09:08):
We have, as Pyrotech as a whole, we have a annual employee survey.
And one of the things over the last two years has been that safety has become
at the forefront of what we do at Pyrotech.
That you can see those in our employee scores, and we review those every year.
(09:34):
And they have come from not mentioned at all, and sometimes not in a positive way.
We all knew that. We all know that exists there.
That has actually changed where you can see it in the score,
(09:54):
which means it's higher up our management all the way to the top of our management
levels at our corporate headquarters,
but also here because the individuals, and that's why it's so important and
so fun to see that people are seeing that and they've recognized that change
and they want to participate.
(10:15):
Competitive now. Yes.
People are fighting over the skid. No, that's my skid. Exactly.
I want to move it. But I mean, that's good if it's going to produce safety,
right? So tell me, what does the incentive program look like?
So if I find the skid by the fire extinguisher, I submit it,
it gets fixed, then my name gets entered in for some kind of monthly drawing?
(10:39):
Yes, it gets entered in, as George said, and we have a monthly drawing for those
that submitted and fixed a safety issue. We pass out...
We have different awards. We have gas cards.
We have fire extinguishers. Since it is a safety program, we want to give out,
(10:59):
you know, smoke detectors, survival packs, anything like that,
CO detectors, those types of things.
And then at the end of the year,
we are allowing everyone in are in the building to actually,
they're going to see, we post everybody's find it, fix it every month.
(11:22):
So it's very transparent.
At the end of this year, we will have everyone vote for the,
what they feel is the most impactful find it, fix it for this year.
And that individual is going to have a luncheon catered for them.
They are getting eight hours of paid time off, which is- Wow.
(11:44):
That's worth it right there.
Sign me up. I want to report some skates in a way. We have a special parking
spot for safety month winner, and we have a special parking spot for the annual winner.
So it's very competitive, and we do have food.
Food is a huge motivator. It's a great motivator, yes. It's a great motivator.
(12:07):
So we bring in for those that participate, to pay, you know,
you're going to get a free sandwich, box lunch, we'll bring in pizzas.
So more and more see what we're bringing in. And they're like,
man, I want to get a sandwich.
And I'm going to fix something too. And I saw something, I'm fixing it.
And now I'm part of this also.
So it is definitely, those are motivators. That is awesome.
(12:33):
And we talked about the reduction in maintenance costs, right?
So how does your maintenance workers, how do they They feel about this program.
Like I don't have to go and walk across the plant to move a skid.
You know, they're probably pretty relieved this is going on.
What's the feedback you're getting from them?
They are ecstatic, to say the least. Yeah.
(12:53):
They have no issue. The other thing is we have a very, from our safety team,
we have a very well-rounded safety team.
And one of the champions, safety champions, is a maintenance worker.
We have individuals from in the office. We have individuals from out on the
floor, from different departments.
(13:13):
So it's very well-rounded. But from a maintenance standpoint,
if static is the word that I would use. Yeah.
I can imagine if you took my workload down and killed the noise,
especially for something that could be taken care of rather easily without a bunch of tools.
Or, you know, sometimes it's more of a hassle just getting that workload generated
(13:35):
and deploying a person than it is to actually take care of the issue.
So, you know, solve the several problems with find it, fix it,
especially for maintenance.
I would be beside myself and thanking you and, you know, in very tangible ways
constantly because you've saved me hours, hours and hours.
(13:59):
We do have some major things that maintenance has to take care of.
So if someone did have a safety issue and it wasn't something that they could
do something about, we do have a system to notify maintenance that,
hey, there is a safety issue and they would have to take care of that.
But the fact that maintenance now doesn't have to handle those really what I
(14:20):
would call approachable things that handle ourselves, very approachable things.
It does cut down the workload and it makes everyone very happy.
They don't have to spend a Saturday or extra hours, you know,
taking care of something.
I call it the great safety divide. There always seems to be tension between
employees, the safety manager and the upper management.
(14:40):
Right. And so just in general, I don't have that sense here with this program that's like that.
Kim, how did upper management respond to this program?
The response has been fantastic. I mean, I can honestly say,
yes, I may be the safety officer, but without the support of the team and the
(15:00):
employees and just all of the managers,
us as a whole, it has changed our culture.
And I think we all know that culture is very hard, a slow process.
Very hard, yes. That this has changed so quickly and everyone is so supportive.
I couldn't do what I do without everyone.
(15:23):
And we are a team. We're a whole.
So upper management has been extremely, extremely supportive.
Do you feel like this has helped align the company beyond safety culture,
but deeper in a more corporate culture?
I will say, and I don't want to toot my own horn, and I don't want to come off
as, you know, not genuine. genuine, this is going to sound really cookie cutter
(15:47):
and pie in the sky, but it's the truth.
I wouldn't have lasted in a company for 30 years if it was not a good place to work, number one.
I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in if I didn't have forward-thinking
leadership, number two.
Number three, we recognize as I'm in the leadership at this point that really
when we're all sitting at the table, we're all sitting at the table.
(16:09):
It's all at the same level. So I I don't think that anybody really gets hung
up on titles or anything like that.
We are, every voice is valued.
And I will say that across Pirate Tech, I noticed this as a culture.
There might be some things a little bit different than some of the other plants,
but I can say, you know, from my aspect here, we've been on a really even plane.
(16:30):
We have really forward-thinking leadership, very supportive,
especially of programs where, you know, everyone is going to benefit.
This is a no brainer. It's a slam dunk, you know, from a from a business case.
But just relationally from one to the other, I think we have a very,
very good system and awesome chemistry.
I like to give Kim credit, even though she hates it, even though she hates it.
(16:55):
But in truth, you know, I don't know that anybody even thinks about titles until
we have to say who we are for the mess, you know.
Know so george honestly i don't think that
was cookie cutter at all i think it was beautiful it was like industrial poetry
if you will honestly because
i think a lot of times we hear stuff like that if that's not
(17:17):
our reality at our facility we're like come on george but every but the fact
that you even how you spoke it that every voice is valued is so important because
you do get the negativity you get the sarcasm you get but if you can wade through
all that in certain aspects and And you can,
and I'm really speaking to people out there that don't have this culture.
(17:37):
If you can navigate the negativity and the sarcasm and the little comment box
issues that you're, that makes you want to repel away from it.
There's going to be Ed in that box at some point that's going to bring value.
It's going to bring you a jewel that's going to shift everything.
This did not, the success of this program did not stay in Aurora.
(17:57):
No. How far has this spread through the pyrotech culture as a corporation throughout the company?
Right now, Mike, we have what we call a USA safety team.
And our USA manager, Dave Eichenmiller, he has been pushing this through and
to all of our other five or six North American sites right now.
(18:22):
And I have a few people of the safety managers or officers that have been in
contact with me and a couple are going to be coming to visit so they can get
a better feel for the program and how it's run and how they want to change things at their facility too.
They may probably taper it to their specific facility, but the process itself
(18:46):
has been spreading and getting a lot of recognition.
And more than anything, it's really about the safety and we want everyone to
be safe. I have goosebumps all over me.
Honestly, and this is why when I read the nominations for the first time.
I was like, are you kidding me?
(19:08):
I'm like, this is so simple that people aren't going to believe this is my first talk.
And then after kind of going through the details and talking a little bit,
I'm like, everyone needs to hear this.
I'm going to evangelize the safety world with this. That's why,
that's why I wanted to bring you two on today.
And that's why you won the safety innovation award for the porch County safety council. And this is,
(19:29):
This is why we're doing the panel on September 12th. We want to get the word
out because everybody's got to add somewhere with a good idea.
And there may be 99 terrible ideas, but if it's worth sorting through that,
if you could find the one idea and find your ed.
So if you're listening to this out there and you're like, man,
how do I put this in my facility?
(19:49):
Just sort through the noise, find your ed, listen to them, value every voice
is what I'm hearing and just kind of just empower people to do what they can do.
And it literally turns into a fun competition, a friendly game,
and then the entire culture is shifted.
So it may be both. You want to answer this, but I'd like to end on this for
(20:09):
those other manufacturers, industrial companies that are listening to this today.
What's one thing that you could advise them? And maybe you both want to answer this.
Like what's one thing that you say, Hey, if they came to you today and said,
Kim, George, how do I get this started in my facility?
What was the one thing you would tell them? The one thing I'd tell them is to
find their team, make their team.
(20:30):
And that team is really a team of influencers, people that have the ability
to drive it when you're absent and you have to have a varied team.
So they have to come from different places in your plant and you have to listen.
So it's not us going out as a leader dictating where it goes.
You have to hear what your team is saying, and then your team comes up with
(20:53):
something that would work.
Us as leaders, what we're providing
is resources, and they're providing a vision and legs for the vision.
You have to be able to have a team that you can trust, that they have influence
with the workers that they work next to.
It doesn't have to go all the way up to the president, but if you try a few
(21:14):
things, trust them. and give it the resources and remove the roadblocks,
you can have an easily successful program.
I'm hearing two things when you're speaking, George. And I just want to highlight
for the people in marketing, I went to school for marketing,
and there's a concept called minimum viable product.
And it's the whole strategy is based on just put something to action and continually
(21:38):
rework and reevaluate it and perfect it.
But if you don't start, you're not going to do it. Not going to do it.
Yep. Yep, that is exactly. It sounds like you guys probably worked through that
process a little bit and you keep
making it even better with some of the incentives and different things.
And the second thing you said, I think is very powerful that I talk about behind
closed doors all the time when it comes to actually safety teams.
(22:00):
I love that people want to get management on there.
That's important. It's got its place. I love the cross-functional aspect of
it. We need to get people for different departments. 100% of them on board.
No one talks about what you talked about, George. This is great insight because
it drives me crazy sometimes, honestly, because I'll be in meetings and I'll
talk to people and they'll kind of boohoo on their management and all this stuff.
(22:21):
I was like, listen, it's great to have managers on there, but you need the influential
people in your plan on here.
Even if the boss comes in and says, this is how we're going to do things.
If Larry, the Lyft truck driver has the most influence.
I worked with the Larry. They had the most influence.
I don't care what the supervisor, his boss said. If Larry taught the people
(22:42):
in the break room, people were not on board and people use Larry as a litmus
test. And if Larry was on board, everyone else, even if they grumbled about it, got on board.
And I tell people all the time, find your Larry's. Larry is a gentleman I worked with years ago.
He was a really nice guy. He wasn't a grumpy old, you know what I mean? He was a nice guy.
(23:03):
He cared about people. He cared about company objectives.
But he had influence. I'm not sure why. It's an intangible thing sometimes.
Find your Larry and get that person on your committee. On your team.
Yeah. Get management on there. Yes. Cross-functional. Absolutely.
But get influencers because you need safety champions out there that people
(23:26):
are actually going to listen to you.
And just because we have a position sometimes doesn't mean we have influence with our employees.
So by bringing those influencers on, you sell them, you'll sell all the people that listen to them.
Give them ownership as well. I mean, because they should have that ability to
have some providence about how things move.
I think that's why the voice of the team is so important.
(23:47):
Those guys will do a lot of the work. And Kim will tell you because,
you know, she's in the trenches just like I am.
Those guys will go out there and do the work on the floor. And it's done by
the time you get there as far as leadership is concerned.
But they are working, you know, shoulder to shoulder with everyone every day.
The recognition does play a part and that's a great motivator
you know the food the gift cards but the biggest piece
(24:09):
for us is really the result we have
a safe plant we've not had any incidences we're not
paying you know exorbitant fees you know to the workers
compensation because we can't keep people safe and
so it's working as it should but i
think that if we you know those larry's of the world will make
all the difference if you're you know as long as you do it
(24:31):
right and you're you're honest ethics are a big piece because they
have to trust you you have to trust them so we always
work in a sense of you know purity and
really i i know again i think it sounds it probably sounds really corny and
pie in the sky but i mean we do have a team here that's really organic a lot
(24:51):
of us have come up through the ranks at pyrotech and even for the the new ones
coming on but we have a lot of trust in each other.
And so when Larry trusts him, trust me, you know, at that point when we're in
that team meeting, again, rank is out the window.
It's just a matter of let's talk down through this. This is something we can
fix. This is something we can do.
(25:12):
We make it happen. To George's point also, just to tack on, it's so important
for everyone to feel empowered in their areas.
They're there day in and day out, putting in the work, putting in the effort.
If we were to just go out there and dictate, they're not going to buy in.
They're not going to buy in. I don't know what they do day in and day out. They know what they do.
(25:36):
But if we're here, I'm here supporting, the rest of the team is supporting,
that has shown them that, Yes, we are here.
And I think that's where the big culture change has happened,
because they see that we are actually, we listen to everybody and everybody's
listening to everyone else and supporting and not just that dictation portion of it.
(26:00):
That is no longer, that is not part of our culture or safety culture or pyrotech
values as a whole. I would say one more thing to add to it.
We will do what we say we're going to do, and we do it urgently.
So if someone comes to us with a concern.
And, you know, just, and this is generic management. Somebody comes to you with a concern.
(26:21):
You want to at least get that concern taken care of, whether that's a,
hey, I, the answer may be that you may have to wait, but we are not sitting
on a request as much as we possibly can.
We move as quickly as possible to support.
Speed kills. I say it all the time. Kirk taught me that one.
Who's our ops manager? Speed kills. This is how you gain your,
(26:41):
your advantage across the board. Or if we can do it and we can do it effectively
and quickly, we will always win. That is beautiful.
I kind of want to come work for Pyrotech now.
I mean, I love what I do, but I'm sitting there going, man, if I was in that
kind of field, I want to go work for Pyrotech. I love that team. I know.
(27:01):
Love each other. No, I'm just teasing with that. I love what I do.
But I mean, when you do all the research with safety and retention and employee engagement,
it's all the same stuff that fixes the
problem and so i love it you guys are just glowing
it was so exciting here because now you know
within the safety world so many people complain what's not right
(27:22):
you two are just sitting there celebrating it's not that there's never any like
issue to deal with it's like you're celebrating your culture's thriving so i'm
so glad we got this opportunity for this to get this out there because there's
a lot that people can take home from this podcast so i'm so excited about that
so kim thank you for coming on george,
It's great to meet you. Thank you for coming on.
(27:42):
And George, I hope to see you in September when Kim's on the panel.
Come out and have some delicious guidos with us. I have to be there because
I'm going to be the one clapping the loudest.
There you go. And I don't care what anybody says.
I'd bring you on the panel, but I only have four seats up there,
and I already have four panels. Otherwise, I would have been up there.
Kim needs to be on that panel.
(28:02):
Yes, yes. I need her on that panel. And we're going to have guidos meat roll.
It's everybody's favorite dish for September, so a little extra incentive.
So, all right, George, Kim, thank you so much. Everybody out there,
thank you for listening. And don't forget, be safe.
Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed today's podcast.
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(28:24):
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Essentially, if they find it and fix it, it is addressed.
And so now we don't have a safety issue. We also have a person that's proud of what they've done.
And we've also nicked any kind of potential for an ongoing problem because it
used to be that we would just walk past this and not say anything about it.
(00:21):
Maintenance will take care of it or somebody other than me.
So it still would linger. or this is all taken care of in the moment and we are safer as a result.
Welcome to the Portage County Safety Council podcast. We hope you enjoy today's safety talk.
(00:43):
Hi, it's Mike with the Portage County Safety Council. I'm here with Kim and
George from Pyrotech in Aurora, Ohio. Welcome to the podcast.
Nice to be here. Thank you, Mike.
So, Kim, let's start off with you. Just tell us a little bit about yourself
and what you do over at Pyrotech.
I am the safety officer with Pyrotech.
(01:03):
I've been with the company for about seven and a half years,
and I assumed the safety officer role a little over two years ago.
Only two years. Wow. Seems like I've known you forever at the safety council. Seen you every month.
So, George, how about yourself? What do you do there at Pyrotech?
I am the manufacturing manager and I also participated in the team, the safety team.
(01:25):
I've been with Pyrotech for 30 years now.
So Pyrotech won our first ever all new annual safety awards.
You guys won the safety innovation award.
And this is amazing. Like the story just touched me. I was like,
I have to get you on the podcast.
I have to get an interview. The whole safety world needs to hear your guys' story.
(01:45):
So I'm so excited to get this out there. Now, you guys started a program,
and before we get into the nitty-gritty of that program,
I want you guys to share the results of the program because this is the big
thing for people that struggle to get people to participate.
They struggle to get employees to comply. They struggle to improve that safety performance.
(02:07):
I want you all, all the listeners out there, to hear this. Kim,
you said a couple of years ago, before you started this program,
you had 5% participation in your safety program.
And after nine months, I want everyone to hear me out there,
only nine months, what was your participation rate?
Up to 70% participation throughout our entire plant.
(02:31):
It's amazing the steps that we incurred and the big strides that we took in
getting to that point. 70%. It's huge.
70%. And there was also some information that it's like over 250 safety issues resolved.
Now that was back in March and April. I'm sure it's probably even increased even more.
(02:56):
But George, what are some of the other benefits that you think that you've seen
from this program from that production manager standpoint of looking back, I'm so glad we did this.
Employee engagement and the fact that most safety issues can be taken care of
in the moment. I think those are the two biggest benefits.
And our team, the engagement has been really fantastic.
(03:17):
Again, the safety program is called Find It, Fix It. And it encourages and empowers
each employee to not only fix the problem, I mean, once it is located,
but to be recognized for that fix.
It's really been a boom for us. Very good for us. That's awesome.
And I can tell by the look on your faces, it's amazing.
(03:38):
So Kim, tell us a little bit about how this process started.
How did the Find It, Fix It program come into being?
What was the thought process? Take us through that, what it actually is,
and how this kind of came about. out?
It actually started with our ops manager, Kirk Young.
He came to myself and wanted to see if I was interested in assuming the safety
(04:02):
role in our Aurora facility. And I said, yeah, absolutely.
I have definite interest in that. Prior to me assuming that role,
the safety was divided with another individual and they were providing safety
help with various other sites.
So the safety focus wasn't just here.
(04:23):
So now the safety focus is here in Aurora and our employees and keeping everyone
safe and recognizing that and giving them the tools to do what they need to do to fix those.
When we started pulling up those numbers, that's when we found out,
wow, we only have that 5% participation.
(04:46):
After nine months, once again, 70%. The other item that we also noticed is that
we have a maintenance department that we're getting these fixes and creating work orders,
labor, and cost.
And I think everyone knows that maintenance department is normally the highest
paid department normally in a facility.
(05:08):
So by eliminating and reducing all of these immediate fixes,
it has given our maintenance team the ability to work on the larger safety ticket
items that need to be in place. We did have a suggestion.
You were talking about the origins of the Find It, Fix It program.
(05:29):
And we do have some people that have worked at other places before coming here.
We had a suggestion from one of the employees. His name is Ed Nolan.
He absolutely deserves credit for bringing the general idea to the table.
We do have a team that we work with here.
How many individuals on the team? We have 10 individuals on the safety team.
(05:49):
And that brainstorming with the idea that Mr.
Nolan brought to the table, it was refined and turned into this Find It Fix
It program, which, you know, this is an evolution and also the product of a
team and the leadership that Kim provides to make it happen.
So it's definitely an organic experience for Aurora.
I think this is perfect because you hear safety consultants say all the time,
(06:12):
you have to get your employees involved and hear their suggestions.
Now, part of me celebrates that part of me cringes because I've had some over
the years where I've had some really bad ideas and some suggestions of what
we're already doing, you know, those kinds of things.
So as a leader, you tend to like, if you're not careful, you'll tend to disregard
(06:32):
stuff and not put as much value.
But then you get some idea like Ed has here about the find it,
fix it. And it's a goldmine and a game changer.
So, George, help us unpack what is find it, fix it. Give us the overview.
What are the steps that go through to get, you know, between an employee finding
a problem and fixing it? What does that process look like?
(06:55):
So, and Kim, please jump in if I mess up any kind of way, because I provided
a support just the same, but the whole program, it's very, very simple.
If an employee finds something that is outside of our understanding of safety,
say a skid is in the way of a fire extinguisher, and it is something that they
can handle, they have to find a member of the safety team.
(07:18):
There is a what we call a qir we
have an electronic system to report it it is
verified by that team member this is all happening within minutes by the way
so it's documented it's verified by the team member they address the issue so
they'll move say a skid away from the fire extinguisher we need that three feet
(07:38):
and and it's taken care of it's signed off on you took care of a safety issue.
There's not a ticket that goes in for maintenance.
It's really quick and easy. But the reason for the buy-in is because there's
also a drawing at the end of the month and then one at the end of the year.
And Kim could talk about those, but it really encourages others.
(07:58):
And there's a feasible or tangible payback.
Not only that, there's also recognition for a participation.
So yeah, that essentially, if they find it and fix it, it is addressed.
And so now we don't have have a safety issue.
We also have a person that's proud of what they've done.
And we've also, you know, nicked any kind of potential for an ongoing problem
(08:22):
because it used to be that we would just walk past this and not say anything about it.
Maintenance will take care of it or, you know, somebody other than me.
So it's still, you know, would linger.
This is all taken care of in the moment and we are safer as a result.
And Kim, how do you feel this totally shifted your safety culture?
Is there like a complete attitude or atmospheric kind of change,
(08:45):
so to speak, over the culture of your people?
Like they celebrate solving safety issues now. Is it like before it's like,
oh, the safety guy is coming, put your hard hat on and run and pretend you're doing what's right.
And then it's like, or whatever it is, you know, then it's like into like,
hey, we're actually having fun, like creating a safer work environment.
Yes, you can actually see it in the culture out on the work floor.
(09:08):
We have, as Pyrotech as a whole, we have a annual employee survey.
And one of the things over the last two years has been that safety has become
at the forefront of what we do at Pyrotech.
That you can see those in our employee scores, and we review those every year.
(09:34):
And they have come from not mentioned at all, and sometimes not in a positive way.
We all knew that. We all know that exists there.
That has actually changed where you can see it in the score,
(09:54):
which means it's higher up our management all the way to the top of our management
levels at our corporate headquarters,
but also here because the individuals, and that's why it's so important and
so fun to see that people are seeing that and they've recognized that change
and they want to participate.
(10:15):
Competitive now. Yes.
People are fighting over the skid. No, that's my skid. Exactly.
I want to move it. But I mean, that's good if it's going to produce safety,
right? So tell me, what does the incentive program look like?
So if I find the skid by the fire extinguisher, I submit it,
it gets fixed, then my name gets entered in for some kind of monthly drawing?
(10:39):
Yes, it gets entered in, as George said, and we have a monthly drawing for those
that submitted and fixed a safety issue. We pass out...
We have different awards. We have gas cards.
We have fire extinguishers. Since it is a safety program, we want to give out,
(10:59):
you know, smoke detectors, survival packs, anything like that,
CO detectors, those types of things.
And then at the end of the year,
we are allowing everyone in are in the building to actually,
they're going to see, we post everybody's find it, fix it every month.
(11:22):
So it's very transparent.
At the end of this year, we will have everyone vote for the,
what they feel is the most impactful find it, fix it for this year.
And that individual is going to have a luncheon catered for them.
They are getting eight hours of paid time off, which is- Wow.
(11:44):
That's worth it right there.
Sign me up. I want to report some skates in a way. We have a special parking
spot for safety month winner, and we have a special parking spot for the annual winner.
So it's very competitive, and we do have food.
Food is a huge motivator. It's a great motivator, yes. It's a great motivator.
(12:07):
So we bring in for those that participate, to pay, you know,
you're going to get a free sandwich, box lunch, we'll bring in pizzas.
So more and more see what we're bringing in. And they're like,
man, I want to get a sandwich.
And I'm going to fix something too. And I saw something, I'm fixing it.
And now I'm part of this also.
So it is definitely, those are motivators. That is awesome.
(12:33):
And we talked about the reduction in maintenance costs, right?
So how does your maintenance workers, how do they They feel about this program.
Like I don't have to go and walk across the plant to move a skid.
You know, they're probably pretty relieved this is going on.
What's the feedback you're getting from them?
They are ecstatic, to say the least. Yeah.
(12:53):
They have no issue. The other thing is we have a very, from our safety team,
we have a very well-rounded safety team.
And one of the champions, safety champions, is a maintenance worker.
We have individuals from in the office. We have individuals from out on the
floor, from different departments.
(13:13):
So it's very well-rounded. But from a maintenance standpoint,
if static is the word that I would use. Yeah.
I can imagine if you took my workload down and killed the noise,
especially for something that could be taken care of rather easily without a bunch of tools.
Or, you know, sometimes it's more of a hassle just getting that workload generated
(13:35):
and deploying a person than it is to actually take care of the issue.
So, you know, solve the several problems with find it, fix it,
especially for maintenance.
I would be beside myself and thanking you and, you know, in very tangible ways
constantly because you've saved me hours, hours and hours.
(13:59):
We do have some major things that maintenance has to take care of.
So if someone did have a safety issue and it wasn't something that they could
do something about, we do have a system to notify maintenance that,
hey, there is a safety issue and they would have to take care of that.
But the fact that maintenance now doesn't have to handle those really what I
(14:20):
would call approachable things that handle ourselves, very approachable things.
It does cut down the workload and it makes everyone very happy.
They don't have to spend a Saturday or extra hours, you know,
taking care of something.
I call it the great safety divide. There always seems to be tension between
employees, the safety manager and the upper management.
(14:40):
Right. And so just in general, I don't have that sense here with this program that's like that.
Kim, how did upper management respond to this program?
The response has been fantastic. I mean, I can honestly say,
yes, I may be the safety officer, but without the support of the team and the
(15:00):
employees and just all of the managers,
us as a whole, it has changed our culture.
And I think we all know that culture is very hard, a slow process.
Very hard, yes. That this has changed so quickly and everyone is so supportive.
I couldn't do what I do without everyone.
(15:23):
And we are a team. We're a whole.
So upper management has been extremely, extremely supportive.
Do you feel like this has helped align the company beyond safety culture,
but deeper in a more corporate culture?
I will say, and I don't want to toot my own horn, and I don't want to come off
as, you know, not genuine. genuine, this is going to sound really cookie cutter
(15:47):
and pie in the sky, but it's the truth.
I wouldn't have lasted in a company for 30 years if it was not a good place to work, number one.
I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in if I didn't have forward-thinking
leadership, number two.
Number three, we recognize as I'm in the leadership at this point that really
when we're all sitting at the table, we're all sitting at the table.
(16:09):
It's all at the same level. So I I don't think that anybody really gets hung
up on titles or anything like that.
We are, every voice is valued.
And I will say that across Pirate Tech, I noticed this as a culture.
There might be some things a little bit different than some of the other plants,
but I can say, you know, from my aspect here, we've been on a really even plane.
(16:30):
We have really forward-thinking leadership, very supportive,
especially of programs where, you know, everyone is going to benefit.
This is a no brainer. It's a slam dunk, you know, from a from a business case.
But just relationally from one to the other, I think we have a very,
very good system and awesome chemistry.
I like to give Kim credit, even though she hates it, even though she hates it.
(16:55):
But in truth, you know, I don't know that anybody even thinks about titles until
we have to say who we are for the mess, you know.
Know so george honestly i don't think that
was cookie cutter at all i think it was beautiful it was like industrial poetry
if you will honestly because
i think a lot of times we hear stuff like that if that's not
(17:17):
our reality at our facility we're like come on george but every but the fact
that you even how you spoke it that every voice is valued is so important because
you do get the negativity you get the sarcasm you get but if you can wade through
all that in certain aspects and And you can,
and I'm really speaking to people out there that don't have this culture.
(17:37):
If you can navigate the negativity and the sarcasm and the little comment box
issues that you're, that makes you want to repel away from it.
There's going to be Ed in that box at some point that's going to bring value.
It's going to bring you a jewel that's going to shift everything.
This did not, the success of this program did not stay in Aurora.
(17:57):
No. How far has this spread through the pyrotech culture as a corporation throughout the company?
Right now, Mike, we have what we call a USA safety team.
And our USA manager, Dave Eichenmiller, he has been pushing this through and
to all of our other five or six North American sites right now.
(18:22):
And I have a few people of the safety managers or officers that have been in
contact with me and a couple are going to be coming to visit so they can get
a better feel for the program and how it's run and how they want to change things at their facility too.
They may probably taper it to their specific facility, but the process itself
(18:46):
has been spreading and getting a lot of recognition.
And more than anything, it's really about the safety and we want everyone to
be safe. I have goosebumps all over me.
Honestly, and this is why when I read the nominations for the first time.
I was like, are you kidding me?
(19:08):
I'm like, this is so simple that people aren't going to believe this is my first talk.
And then after kind of going through the details and talking a little bit,
I'm like, everyone needs to hear this.
I'm going to evangelize the safety world with this. That's why,
that's why I wanted to bring you two on today.
And that's why you won the safety innovation award for the porch County safety council. And this is,
(19:29):
This is why we're doing the panel on September 12th. We want to get the word
out because everybody's got to add somewhere with a good idea.
And there may be 99 terrible ideas, but if it's worth sorting through that,
if you could find the one idea and find your ed.
So if you're listening to this out there and you're like, man,
how do I put this in my facility?
(19:49):
Just sort through the noise, find your ed, listen to them, value every voice
is what I'm hearing and just kind of just empower people to do what they can do.
And it literally turns into a fun competition, a friendly game,
and then the entire culture is shifted.
So it may be both. You want to answer this, but I'd like to end on this for
(20:09):
those other manufacturers, industrial companies that are listening to this today.
What's one thing that you could advise them? And maybe you both want to answer this.
Like what's one thing that you say, Hey, if they came to you today and said,
Kim, George, how do I get this started in my facility?
What was the one thing you would tell them? The one thing I'd tell them is to
find their team, make their team.
(20:30):
And that team is really a team of influencers, people that have the ability
to drive it when you're absent and you have to have a varied team.
So they have to come from different places in your plant and you have to listen.
So it's not us going out as a leader dictating where it goes.
You have to hear what your team is saying, and then your team comes up with
(20:53):
something that would work.
Us as leaders, what we're providing
is resources, and they're providing a vision and legs for the vision.
You have to be able to have a team that you can trust, that they have influence
with the workers that they work next to.
It doesn't have to go all the way up to the president, but if you try a few
(21:14):
things, trust them. and give it the resources and remove the roadblocks,
you can have an easily successful program.
I'm hearing two things when you're speaking, George. And I just want to highlight
for the people in marketing, I went to school for marketing,
and there's a concept called minimum viable product.
And it's the whole strategy is based on just put something to action and continually
(21:38):
rework and reevaluate it and perfect it.
But if you don't start, you're not going to do it. Not going to do it.
Yep. Yep, that is exactly. It sounds like you guys probably worked through that
process a little bit and you keep
making it even better with some of the incentives and different things.
And the second thing you said, I think is very powerful that I talk about behind
closed doors all the time when it comes to actually safety teams.
(22:00):
I love that people want to get management on there.
That's important. It's got its place. I love the cross-functional aspect of
it. We need to get people for different departments. 100% of them on board.
No one talks about what you talked about, George. This is great insight because
it drives me crazy sometimes, honestly, because I'll be in meetings and I'll
talk to people and they'll kind of boohoo on their management and all this stuff.
(22:21):
I was like, listen, it's great to have managers on there, but you need the influential
people in your plan on here.
Even if the boss comes in and says, this is how we're going to do things.
If Larry, the Lyft truck driver has the most influence.
I worked with the Larry. They had the most influence.
I don't care what the supervisor, his boss said. If Larry taught the people
(22:42):
in the break room, people were not on board and people use Larry as a litmus
test. And if Larry was on board, everyone else, even if they grumbled about it, got on board.
And I tell people all the time, find your Larry's. Larry is a gentleman I worked with years ago.
He was a really nice guy. He wasn't a grumpy old, you know what I mean? He was a nice guy.
(23:03):
He cared about people. He cared about company objectives.
But he had influence. I'm not sure why. It's an intangible thing sometimes.
Find your Larry and get that person on your committee. On your team.
Yeah. Get management on there. Yes. Cross-functional. Absolutely.
But get influencers because you need safety champions out there that people
(23:26):
are actually going to listen to you.
And just because we have a position sometimes doesn't mean we have influence with our employees.
So by bringing those influencers on, you sell them, you'll sell all the people that listen to them.
Give them ownership as well. I mean, because they should have that ability to
have some providence about how things move.
I think that's why the voice of the team is so important.
(23:47):
Those guys will do a lot of the work. And Kim will tell you because,
you know, she's in the trenches just like I am.
Those guys will go out there and do the work on the floor. And it's done by
the time you get there as far as leadership is concerned.
But they are working, you know, shoulder to shoulder with everyone every day.
The recognition does play a part and that's a great motivator
you know the food the gift cards but the biggest piece
(24:09):
for us is really the result we have
a safe plant we've not had any incidences we're not
paying you know exorbitant fees you know to the workers
compensation because we can't keep people safe and
so it's working as it should but i
think that if we you know those larry's of the world will make
all the difference if you're you know as long as you do it
(24:31):
right and you're you're honest ethics are a big piece because they
have to trust you you have to trust them so we always
work in a sense of you know purity and
really i i know again i think it sounds it probably sounds really corny and
pie in the sky but i mean we do have a team here that's really organic a lot
(24:51):
of us have come up through the ranks at pyrotech and even for the the new ones
coming on but we have a lot of trust in each other.
And so when Larry trusts him, trust me, you know, at that point when we're in
that team meeting, again, rank is out the window.
It's just a matter of let's talk down through this. This is something we can
fix. This is something we can do.
(25:12):
We make it happen. To George's point also, just to tack on, it's so important
for everyone to feel empowered in their areas.
They're there day in and day out, putting in the work, putting in the effort.
If we were to just go out there and dictate, they're not going to buy in.
They're not going to buy in. I don't know what they do day in and day out. They know what they do.
(25:36):
But if we're here, I'm here supporting, the rest of the team is supporting,
that has shown them that, Yes, we are here.
And I think that's where the big culture change has happened,
because they see that we are actually, we listen to everybody and everybody's
listening to everyone else and supporting and not just that dictation portion of it.
(26:00):
That is no longer, that is not part of our culture or safety culture or pyrotech
values as a whole. I would say one more thing to add to it.
We will do what we say we're going to do, and we do it urgently.
So if someone comes to us with a concern.
And, you know, just, and this is generic management. Somebody comes to you with a concern.
(26:21):
You want to at least get that concern taken care of, whether that's a,
hey, I, the answer may be that you may have to wait, but we are not sitting
on a request as much as we possibly can.
We move as quickly as possible to support.
Speed kills. I say it all the time. Kirk taught me that one.
Who's our ops manager? Speed kills. This is how you gain your,
(26:41):
your advantage across the board. Or if we can do it and we can do it effectively
and quickly, we will always win. That is beautiful.
I kind of want to come work for Pyrotech now.
I mean, I love what I do, but I'm sitting there going, man, if I was in that
kind of field, I want to go work for Pyrotech. I love that team. I know.
(27:01):
Love each other. No, I'm just teasing with that. I love what I do.
But I mean, when you do all the research with safety and retention and employee engagement,
it's all the same stuff that fixes the
problem and so i love it you guys are just glowing
it was so exciting here because now you know
within the safety world so many people complain what's not right
(27:22):
you two are just sitting there celebrating it's not that there's never any like
issue to deal with it's like you're celebrating your culture's thriving so i'm
so glad we got this opportunity for this to get this out there because there's
a lot that people can take home from this podcast so i'm so excited about that
so kim thank you for coming on george,
It's great to meet you. Thank you for coming on.
(27:42):
And George, I hope to see you in September when Kim's on the panel.
Come out and have some delicious guidos with us. I have to be there because
I'm going to be the one clapping the loudest.
There you go. And I don't care what anybody says.
I'd bring you on the panel, but I only have four seats up there,
and I already have four panels. Otherwise, I would have been up there.
Kim needs to be on that panel.
(28:02):
Yes, yes. I need her on that panel. And we're going to have guidos meat roll.
It's everybody's favorite dish for September, so a little extra incentive.
So, all right, George, Kim, thank you so much. Everybody out there,
thank you for listening. And don't forget, be safe.
Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed today's podcast.
For more episodes, check us out on your favorite podcast app,
(28:24):
Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more.
To get new episodes sent directly to your phone or smart device, be sure to subscribe.
To learn more about how your company can earn an Ohio BWC Premium Rebate by
becoming an active member of the Portage County Safety Council,
please visit our website at www.portagecountysafetycouncil.com.
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