There's a new Safety Sheriff in town

Health and safety sheriff

The Saint-Gobain Abrasives plant in Eskişehir, Turkey, are the worthy winners of our 'Reshaping Your World' Award for 2018 for their implementation of their pioneering “Safety Sheriff” project.

The premise of the Safety Sheriff project is to create a culture of health and safety within the plant; raising its importance within the minds of the employees to the extent where best practice becomes second nature. Initially, a volunteer is selected from the workforce and given the title “Safety Sheriff”. This person is then empowered with the authority to oversee and police the Saint-Gobain safety standards of the plant.

Although every employee at Eskişehir is provided with regular health and safety training, the safety sheriff undergoes extensive additional training in order to become an expert and a point of reference for all colleagues. In line with their responsibilities, the Sheriff is given the authority to caution and advise their colleagues of conduct and conditions that do not meet the safety standards expected by Saint-Gobain. Any dangerous conditions or hazardous situations are immediately reported to their line manager and EHS manager and action is taken accordingly. The sheriff is also responsible for periodically reporting their findings, which is done to ensure continual improvements are made at the plant.

Since the implementation of the Safety Sheriff project, Eskişehir have demonstrated significant improvements in their health and safety record and is set to be rolled out to other Saint-Gobain Abrasive plants.