In case you missed it – don’t forget to pick up a copy of the March 26th, 2019 Mt. Pleasant News.
Lomont Molding LLC was featured in an article for our part in the creation of a safety council between multiple local manufacturers. Our Safety Coordinator, Dale Wohlleber, is credited with the idea that led to the formation of the safety council. Read all about it below:
Safety officers at industrial plants across Henry County are creating a council to better employee safety in their workplaces.
This past month, Lomont Molding hosted the first safety council, inviting safety officers and managers from ContiTech, Innovairre, MM Composite Inc., Temp Associates, West Liberty Foods, Jabil, Hearth & Home Technologie and Gamrath — Doyle — Vens Insurance Inc. to take a tour of Lomont and discuss safety questions and concerns they have in their own plants.
“Safety is such a major (concern) for all industries in town,” said Carl Frank, marketing director at Lomont. “To be able to get together with like-minded safety professionals and compare safety (protocol) is important.”
The safety council was the idea of Dale Wohlleber, safety coordinator at Lomont. Wohlleber served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years before retiring. He participated in discussions once a week where they would discuss problems, questions and concerns. Wohlleber thought, “Why don’t we do it here?”
The safety council is open to any business in Henry County trying to make their workplace safer for employees. Wohlleber said meetings are “very loose.” There’s no agenda. If someone has a problem, they bring it up to the group to discuss and try to solve.
Wohlleber said that all the manufacturing plants in town are working with similar, basic equipment like cranes and forklifts. The safety council is an opportunity to ask questions and communicate with each other about better safety practices they can engage in.
Already, the council has discussed hearing conservation — mandatory hearing tests for employees who work in loud environments. While Lomont has two employees who have to be tested, other plants have to have all of their employees tested, Wohlleber said. They began talking about what services they can employ to bring hearing tests to the plants rather than sending their employees to their doctors to be tested.
In another discussion, Wohlleber said he had some questions on crane training. Chad Walls, the safety manager at Hearth & Home, guided him in the right direction.
“He took what I had and helped me fix it,” Wohhleber said. “That’s the kind of things we’re doing.”
Frank said while there are national organizations like the American Safety Council that focuses on safety in the workplace, he hadn’t seen a local council with an emphasis in safety.
“Having like-minded professionals working on it really helps that collaborative safety in the community,” Frank said. “I think it’s a good thing. I was really proud of Dale for coming up with this.”
Safety managers are responsible for a lot, Frank said. Having other people they can turn to for advice really helps. There’s a “better observance” of how employees at any manufacturing plant conduct their jobs.
“It’s easy for someone to overlook something and cut the wrong way, not put on gloves, or don’t put on safety goggles — basic stuff — and all of a sudden we have an injury,” Frank said. “I’m just as bad as anybody. Walking out onto the floor sometimes without the right equipment is not a good idea.”
Safety is a topic that is stressed in many industries today. Senior managers often receive safety reports along with financial reports in the morning, Frank said.
“It’s an important part of a culture of a company, and I think it’s an important part of our culture.”
Brad Avis, safety manager at West Liberty Foods, said the safety council is “absolutely” needed.
Avis formerly worked with Color Web Printers in Cedar Rapids and was a part of a safety consortium of companies in that area.
“Each month we would meet at another plant,” Avis said. “That was beneficial as well to go into the plant and see the things they do. That’s part of what safety is — stealing (safety tips) from each other.”
Avis said the first safety council meeting in Henry County had that “same vibe,” and it was a good chance to talk about the “aches and pains” of what safety officers deal with.
“I think it’s a great thing for safety for companies within the community,” Avis said. “I was thrilled when I saw that email from Dale about getting us all together. I appreciate him putting it together and Lomont hosting the first meeting.”
West Liberty Foods is hosting the second safety meeting in April, and Avis said he is looking forward to having everyone tour their facility to see how they do things.
Sandra Snyder, from Innovairre, said the safety council is a good networking opportunity.
“People in the field with their experience could be a great resource if we have questions or concerns,” Snyder said. “
Malene Rasmussen, with MM Composites, said it’s always good to have a local safety network, especially as a small company.
“Then you have somebody to exchange ideas with, somebody who has the best practice you can implement in your facilities and get inspiration from each other,” Rasmussen said. “Our primary focus is we want to keep people safe. You work to find the best solutions for everybody.”
Safety meetings will be monthly for the foreseeable future. Wohlleber said he wants to keep the momentum going.
The next safety meeting will be at West Liberty Foods on April 3. In May, the safety council will visit MM Composite. Heatilator will host the council in June.
For more information about the safety council or to become a member call Dale Wohlleber at Lomont Molding at 319-385-1528.
