Celebrating 10 years of industry-leading safety standards at PGP International

A lost time injury is an injury sustained by an employee that results in lost work time, meaning they cannot perform their job duties as a result of the injury. The PGP International site in Indiana is celebrating a decade without a lost time injury and their other site in Woodland, California, follows, poised to celebrate the same ten-year milestone in 2024.

The excellent health and safety performance at both locations results from various factors, including effective communication, thorough training, and well-defined protocols and expectations. It’s also attributed to the employees' readiness to look out for each other's health and wellbeing thanks to a family-like ethos within the employee communities at PGPI.

Reporting risks, however small

The focus on safety is ingrained into the company culture and instils a sense of responsibility in every employee for maintaining a safe and healthy work environment. One of the critical aspects of PGPI's safety program is its emphasis on reporting all incidents, regardless of the size of the perceived risk.
Their approach to safety is instilled in the daily working lives of PGP International employees but the annual Hazard Hunt provides a fun and refreshing way to keep everyone engaged.
The team and person who finds the most potential risks and vulnerabilities across the workplace are recognized as winners. This approach helps identify potential hazards and root causes before they escalate into more significant problems.

Collaborating and sharing best practices

Covid brought the two PGP International sites closer together because the teams maximized the potential of online video meetings. The staff have continued to make the most of collaboration technology post-Covid, reducing the need to travel the 2,000 miles between California and Indiana and meeting more frequently.

The two site’s Health and Safety Committees regularly review incidents and discuss health and safety approaches. The meetings allow for sharing best practices, discussing risks, looking at where improvements could be made, and talking about safety and risks, whether electrical hazards, forklift truck hazards and flour dust risks, or any other risk commonalities the sites share.

Quickly identifying root causes

The use of cameras in PGP International’s production areas has made root cause investigation easier. For instance, in the event of a spill, the recorded footage of the incident is analyzed to identify preventive measures and avoid similar incidents in the future. All parties involved in the incident are engaged in the examination process to provide perspective and suggest solutions. In the case of human error, additional training or process modifications to prevent future incidents can be made.