GOVERNOR'S SAFETY AWARD 2006
Facilities & Service Enterprises Team wins 2005 Governor’s Employee Safety Award (GESA) for
“Letting Machines do the Heavy Work”
Project Co-Leads: Delma Munoz and Cristina Maristela
In 2005, a team of University employees in Grounds & Integrated Waste Management and Campus Support Services, motivated by a severe injury to a co-worker, acting on their own initiative, committed themselves to identifying and developing new ways to prevent heavy lifting injuries through mechanization. Acting above and beyond the call of duty, the team identified and implemented six new process improvements, including design and fabrication of special tools. The team tested the improvements, making further changes to enhance the project’s outcome.
The project was a great success. In units where the project was implemented, no lifting injuries were reported between the date of the program’s implementation and the date the team was nominated for the award. This is extremely relevant and significant, since the pilot units accounted for more injuries than any other unit at the University in FY 04/05. Consequently, the process improvements are currently being implemented elsewhere at the University.
Also from annual report -
Remarkably, new Custodian claims decreased to 12 in FY 05/06. This represents a decrease of 10 claims or 45% as compared to FY 04/05 and represents a decrease of 1 claim or 7.7% as compared to FY 03/04. Risk and Benefit Management attributes this decrease in new Custodian claims to implementation of Facilities & Service Enterprise’s 2005 Governor’s Employee Safety Award-winning “Letting Machines Do the Heavy Work” program.
