Company Overview
Located in Greer, South Carolina, Tuffaloy Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of resistance welding consumables, tooling, and accessories. The company was established in 1937 to provide welding products and technical expertise to the growing automotive industry in Detroit. Over time the company narrowed its focus on resistance welding and created a standard product line of resistance welding electrodes and holders.
Situation
Tuffaloy Products did not have a formal safety program in place and experienced an increase in workplace injuries in 2019 and early 2020. They were looking for assistance.
Solution
Utilizing CARES Act funding, SCMEP provided an HSE expert to review current HSE systems and processes. A mock OSHA safety audit of the facility was performed. Based on these findings, the instructor developed a safety training presentation based on the major infractions identified in the audit and trained all staff on what is safe and how to improve workplace safety. Next, a Safety Committee was formed to develop an action plan to address the infractions. The Safety Committee performs a monthly walk through to identify potential safety hazards and assigns action items for each member to address for the month. This Committee also reports their findings to the entire staff in monthly training meetings.
Results
- Improved culture – safety is now part of the company’s culture
- Improved productivity – the Safety Team proactively communicates with all stakeholders and acts quickly to address any issues identified in the facility
- Training – since the training, there have been no major workplace injuries
“We would absolutely recommend SCMEP to others. They were extremely professional in assessing our compliance with OSHA regulations and tailored a safety presentation built around our own deficiencies. Seeing firsthand the hazards within our own workplace helped motivate our team to put safety first. The HSE expert educated our Safety Committee and provided tools for our Safety Committee to train others and hold all employees accountable. There has been a major shift in how everyone views safety in our facility. Employees immediately communicate when they see something unsafe and the Safety Committee is quick to act. If it was not for this training, it was only a matter of time before another injury occurred.”
Sean Simmions, President