Jay Shively, director of Management Solutions Inc., is currently working as a safety consultant at Ryobi Die Casting. He is chairman of the Northridge Safety Group, which consists of representatives from industries and businesses in the area who meet on the second Friday of each month to discuss common safety concerns. Shively is demonstrating protective gear used in many plants. His goal is to increase membership in the safety group.

Making safety No. 1
Northridge Safety Group helps employers make safety top priority

B.J. Fairchild-Newman
Staff Writer

Keeping workers safe in an industrial environment requires constant assessment, and the Northridge Safety Group is inviting local companies to attend its monthly meetings for an exchange of ideas and information.

Scheduled for the second Friday of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. , one company usually sponsors the meeting by hosting the group at its facility, and usually a simple lunch is served. On Friday, PK USA Inc., 600 Northridge Dr. , will host the meeting, with a plant tour at 11:30 a.m. and the meal and safety discussion beginning at noon . Friday's topic is the safety concerns of confined spaces.

Most companies send more than one representative to the meetings, and anyone with an interest in industrial safety is welcome. Companies planning to attend or wanting more information should contact Jay Shively, chairperson of the Northridge Safety Group, at (317) 270-2437.

Each month a different safety or environmental issue is discussed, and plant tours usually are included. In addition to discussing a main topic, a roundtable discussion is held so participants may suggest topics for future meetings. Topics might include indoor air quality, fork truck safety, personal protective equipment or ARC flash danger.

Shively, director of Management Solutions, who is employed as a safety consultant at Ryobi Die Casting Inc., 800 W. Mausoleum Road, was part of the original group that was formed in 1999 when he was employed as manager of technical services and environmental, health and safety at PK USA Inc., and he has continued to participate while working for different Shelbyville companies, including Major Hospital, where he was the project manager during the initial construction at Intelliplex.

"I would like to see the Northridge Safety Group expanded - it isn't just for plants in the Northridge area; we probably should change the name - and become more of a local resource for the growing manufacturing community," Shively said. "Eventually, we would like to formally recognize local companies for excellence in the areas of environmental, health and safety."

Shively said all of the local companies don't have an employee who is specifically tagged as a safety representative, but many of them have a part-time or temporary safety staff person, and a variety of employees from each plant often attend the meetings.

"We want to encourage any local companies or businesses to attend that may have an interest in sharing and learning more about safety," Shively said.

Shively said it is very beneficial for representatives from different plants to get together and discuss current safety regulations. He added that not every company has the same safety regulations because they vary depending on the type of work the plant does, but discussing common problems and concerns can benefit everyone.

For example, he said that every company has a different policy about wearing jewelry because it isn't necessarily a safety hazard in every work environment.

"You wouldn't want people working on a conveyor belt to wear anything that could get caught in the equipment," Shively said, "but this wouldn't be a concern for some other jobs."

Referring to a recent worker fatality at a company in Muncie , Shively said the worker had turned off a safety device on a machine that would have kept it from crushing him.

Even when workers don't follow procedures, however, accidents reflect negatively on the companies where they happen. A good safety record is important, and most plants benefit from having an employee assigned to make sure that safety regulations are followed.

Shively said all industries want to meet the safety standards set by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA), which is the state branch of the federal government's OSHA. IOSHA's mission statement is to improve workplace safety and health for Indiana workers by reducing hazards and exposures in the workplace that might result in injuries, illnesses or fatalities. Companies are overseen by the Industrial Compliance Division of IOSHA, and Shively said the thick book of regulations for industry published by OSHA is his "bible" when evaluating safety in the industrial sector.

IOSHA visits plants throughout the state to check for safety violations, and if companies are not following the proper procedures, this can lead to fines or even the shutdown of a certain machine or an entire area of a plant.

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Jay Shively is the Executive Director for MSI. He is a Project Management Professional and Healthcare Safety Professional. He can be reached at jshively@mgmt-solutions.com. The MSI website is http://www.aboutmsi.com.