January 21, 2010 - Herman Miller's Spring Lake 171st facility recently received renewal of its MVPP Star Award, the state's highest workplace safety and health award, from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA). The MIOSHA program is part of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG).
"Herman Miller is to be commended for its exemplary corporate commitment to workplace safety and health," said MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski. "They have created a corporate culture where workplace safety and health is a top priority. The Spring Lake 171st facility recognizes that a safe workplace provides the foundation for a productive workplace."
MIOSHA established the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP) program in 1996 to recognize employers actively working toward achieving excellence in workplace safety and health. Since 1999, Michigan has recognized 26 MVPP Star companies. This is the most prestigious safety and health award given in Michigan. The Herman Miller Spring Lake 171st facility first received MVPP Star approval on March 22, 2006.
The Spring Lake 171st facility employs 450 workers, and manufactures Herman Miller's filing and storage products. The MIOSHA review team consisted of Doug Kimmel, Team Leader and Safety Consultant; Dave Humenick, Industrial Hygienist; and Jim Getting, CET Construction Safety Consultant. During the review, the team conducted four formal and 26 informal interviews. The team found their safety and health management system effectively addresses the scope and complexity of the hazards at the site.
Herman Miller's corporate mission is to create great places to work. A key element of their mission is to create a safe, healthy and productive work environment for their own employees. Spring Lake 171st employees participate in the facility's safety and health efforts through teams, committee membership, a suggestion program and physical inspections.
Several changes and improvements have been made in their safety and health management system since their 2006 evaluation, including:
- Developed and implemented the PEER to PEER (Protecting Employees by Eliminating Risk) behavior based safety observation program.
- Updated the safety suggestion program from a manual process to an electronic system.
- At least 25 employees participated in and/or assisted with the development of safety training videos used during monthly training sessions.
- Started a new program that requires weekly "safety blitzes." During the daily start up huddle a "blitz" is announced and employees take the first five minutes of their shift to look for issues related to the focused hazard.
- Updated and/or revised several safety programs since the initial onsite review, including: LO/TO, first-aid, powered industrial trucks, safety process, and equipment evaluation form.
- Standardized safety signage throughout the site, which is now the same as the safety signage in all other Herman Miller facilities.
Area of excellence:
- In 2007 the Herman Miller facilities that comprise the Spring Lake Campus began producing safety training videos. The videos use their own employees as actors and their shop floors, offices, and auditoriums as settings. To make them more interesting, they use sketches from TV programs or fictional story lines.
- Some examples include: Slips & Falls, Take Cover/Evacuation, Lockout/Tagout, Incident Investigation, and MVPP update.
- Eighty one team members participated in producing 16 DVDs.
- In total, 15,000 safety retention quizzes have been taken.
Herman Miller works for a better world-with inventive designs, technologies and related services that improve the human experience wherever people work, heal, learn, and live. Its curiosity, ingenuity, and design excellence create award-winning products and services, resulting in more than $1.6 billion in revenue in fiscal 2009. Innovative business practices and a commitment to social responsibility have also established Herman Miller as a recognized global company. In 2009, Herman Miller was again cited by FORTUNE as both the "Most Admired" in its industry and among the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America, while Fast Company named Herman Miller among the innovative "Companies to Watch." Herman Miller trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR. For additional information, visit www.HermanMiller.com.
Read more releases from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth
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