TRSA Holds HR, Safety Summits in St. Louis
TRSA recently hosted the seventh annual Safety Summit, with more than 70 participants sharing best practices and receiving advice from safety professionals in other industries to further decrease workplace risks in large-scale laundries. The association also held its second annual Workforce Management Summit the previous day at the same venue.
The May 17 Safety Summit featured a presentation by former OSHA Assistant Secretary Ed Foulke on compliance with government rules and regulations to operate in a safe manner both in the plant and on the road. In addition to Foulke’s talk, Rick Gerlach, RG Consulting LLC; and Stephen Jenkins, senior director, safety and health, Cintas Corp., shared their insights on implementing an effective ergonomics program in your operations. The Summit wrapped up with a facilitated question-and-answer session with industry safety professionals that included Charles Edelman, corporate safety director, Unitex; John Koduru, director of safety, regulatory and quality, Washing Systems; and Caleb Paige, safety manager, Faultless Laundry Co. The session was moderated by Suzanne Ormond, risk manager, Alsco Inc. Ormond also chairs TRSA’s Safety Committee.
Meanwhile, in the seven years since the Safety Summits began, members are continuing to progress toward reaching their zero-incident goal. Yearly TRSA research shows incidents declining at a faster rate than those of all U.S. businesses. From 2012 to 2016, members’ total recordable injuries and illnesses (TRIR rate) fell nearly 18 percent, compared with 15 percent for all private industry. Days away from work, job restrictions or job transfers (DART rate) were down nearly 16 percent, compared with 11 percent.
“Even with lower and declining incident rates, safety in the workplace is an ongoing emphasis for our industry and for TRSA,” said TRSA President and CEO Joseph Ricci. “At the Safety Summit and our other professional development events, member collaboration to protect employees is at an all-time high. We continue to add to information-sharing resources through our website and other communications. These efforts have paid off in empowering employees to help reduce and prevent injuries.”
The Workforce Management Summit kicked off on May 16 with a presentation by best-selling author and speaker Lisa Ryan on retaining your top talent with “Grategy” – a strategy focused on gratitude and appreciation. The Summit concluded with a panel presentation on human-resources issues that featured Sharon Engle, director of human resources, Paris Cos.; Paul Furiga, president and CEO, WordWrite Communications LLC; Hollie Geitner, vice president, client services, WordWrite Communications LLC; Nancy Roberts, hiring and development consultant, The DISC Wizard; and Joe Shelton, partner, Fisher Phillips LLP.
