One day at the Haskell Steel fabrication facility, two team members were rotating a piece of steel weighing hundreds of pounds when one of them was distracted for a fraction of a second and suffered a severe cut on his finger.
That injury was the first at Haskell Steel in almost 11 years, and just recently, the team marked 1,000 injury-free days since it occurred.
“This is unheard of,” said Touan Plante, Haskell Steel Operations Manager. “I've visited many steel shops, and I've worked at other companies. In the steel industry, people count their safety record in days, not years. Haskell’s safety record is very, very exceptional.”
Owing to that accomplishment, and in addition to the 1,000-day distinction, Haskell recently was recognized by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) with the Safety Award of Honor for 2021.
The AISC honors companies that make a significant and positive difference to the fabricated structural steel industry. The Safety Award of Honor is its highest accolade, presented for achieving a perfect record of no disabling injuries and, thus, a Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate of zero.
"AISC's annual Safety Awards program recognizes excellent records of safety performance, and we commend these facilities for their effective accident prevention programs," said Tom Schlafly, AISC's director of safety. "Periodic recognition of safety in the workplace has been demonstrated to provide worker incentive and a reminder of the importance of safe practices."
New team members learn from Day One of Haskell’s cultural commitment to safety. The messaging is continuous, and compliance is monitored closely. Safety meetings are held every single week. No matter their role, everyone is always aware of the hazards around them.
“Obviously, we're measured on production, revenue, and profitability,” Plante said. “But at the end of the day, if one of ours gets injured, we’ve failed. Then it doesn't matter how much money we make or how successfully we delivered the project. Injuries are a major, major issue.”
Working with steel is inherently dangerous. The list of hazards includes moving machinery, falls from heights, falling objects, toxic gas, liquid metal, noise, heat and vibration.
“Steel workers are continuously exposed to high-risk operations every single day,” said Plante, who has been with Haskell for 10 years and in the industry for more than two decades. “They have cranes overhead lifting extremely heavy pieces, they’re using extreme heat to weld and cut, and they’re rotating hefty pieces of steel to shape them. Everything around them is sharp and heavy, so the potential for injury is pretty much constant.”
Haskell Steel is an AISC-certified industry leader with more than 55 highly trained team members who manage thousands of tons of steel every year for Haskell projects and external customers.
Beyond instilling a culture of safety in the shop, Haskell imposes many practical measures to achieve its excellent track record. Those measures include OSHA training, the provision of adequate PPE, efficient work organization, and regular accident prevention inspections. If the worst were to occur, there are proper emergency first-aid plans and facilities in place.
“Haskell team members make no apologies for being FANATICAL about safety,” said Ryan Hollister, Vice President of Manufacturing. “I consider everyone on the Haskell team to be a safety professional because every one of our team members is educated and empowered to do the right thing when it comes to keeping the team safe.”
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