Celebrating Safety – 7 Million Hours’ Worth!

On Sept. 8, DENSO once again held DENSO Group Safety Day to reinforce its commitment to safety and remember the 1969 explosion at the Anjo plant, which resulted in the deaths of six people.

Since that tragic event, DENSO has implemented policies, departments, standards, systems, initiatives and more – all focused on safety. Today, safety is engrained in the way we work together as One DENSO, the DENSO Spirit and a foundational component to reaching the goals outlined in our Long-term Policy.

A shining example of this safety mindset was celebrated at DENSO Manufacturing Arkansas on Sept. 5. During the celebration, associates were honored for reaching a tremendous milestone – 7 million hours without a lost-time work incident.

And how did they achieve such an amazing accomplishment? Having a “Safety First” mindset from the first time an associate walks in the door, according to Stephanie Patterson, RN at DENSO Manufacturing Arkansas.

From the moment an associate begins the onboarding process for their career at DENSO in Arkansas, a variety of safety topics are addressed. But it’s not only the importance of safety that is discussed, it’s the importance of a collaborative effort to make safety a priority. Everyone at every level is responsible, whether they are part of the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) team or not.

“Safety is always evolving – it changes every day. We have to rely on our associates’ information and experiences to ensure we are addressing all safety issues or potential concerns,” explained Patterson.

When an associate identifies something wrong or safety related, they immediately report it to the SHE team, who instantly addresses the concern. Every incident, regardless of the size, is documented, investigated and results are communicated to associates. This not only creates a respected and valued relationship between all levels and disciplines, but reinforces that safety is not just something they talk about, it’s something they live.

“Our daily job is to keep the plant a safe and healthy working environment for everyone here,” Patterson added.

Safety is a critical part of our future. Productivity, efficiency, technology development, talent attraction/retention, competitiveness – all rely on safety in some way. For example, we can’t be efficient if work stops due to ongoing safety issues. And, we won’t retain talent if they don’t have a safe environment to work in.

So, let’s congratulate our DENSO Arkansas team on 7 million hours (and cheer them on to 10 million!), and ensure that we all do everything we can to create a safe environment for ourselves and those around us.