Tips to Make Your Company a Safe and Healthy Workplace

PMA members can benefit from free safety and health advice

As we approach the end of the year, PMA members should take the time to reflect on their safety practices.

A safe and healthy work environment is proven to significantly reduce direct costs from workers’ compensation payments, medical expenses and legal services, as well as indirect costs including lost productivity, accident investigation, and training and replacing employees.

New safety processes are even resulting in improvements in productivity and profitability. One OSHA study cited a plant with 50 employees that decreased defects and saved more than $265,000 by following a more rigid health and safety program.

At the PMA, we take health and safety seriously and strongly encourage our members to do the same. For example, we’ve issued extensive MbOCA guidelines. We’ve also partnered with Dr. Ted Hogan, a leading Industrial Hygienist, who has developed the Comprehensive Safety and Health Model Program for our organization.

As a member, you can get up to up to two hours of industrial safety and health guidance from Dr. Hogan per year—at no charge. He can be reached at (877) 94-HOGAN or (630) 257-3939.

In the meantime, here are some tips from Dr. Hogan’s plan to help you create a safe and healthy working environment for employees.

• Have a mandated health and safety program.
• Develop a checklist and guidelines.
• Form a safety committee to improve and develop procedures.
• Maintain detailed records of accident reports and fatalities, illness or injuries.
• Schedule periodic safety inspections to examine equipment, hazards & jobs.
• Keep all work areas, floors and aisles in a clean condition.
• Clean up spills and leaks properly, particularly of TDI and MbOCA.
• Develop a written emergency evacuation plan and train each employee.

Breaking the Chain: Belts Bring New Benefits to Bicyclists

Polyurethane belts replace traditional metal roller chains

Bicycle chains are receiving a well-deserved upgrade, thanks to PMA member Gates Corporation. As featured in a recent New York Times article, polyurethane belt systems are all the rage among commuter and city bicyclists, who no longer have to bother with the burden of oiling and cleaning standard metal rolling chains.

Gates Corporation’s grease-free alternative belts are made of polyurethane and shot through with carbon cords, which increase tensile strength and resistance to weathering. On one side of the belt, a series of teeth work with metal pulleys to turn the belt as the pedals rotate.

The benefits of cast polyurethane belt systems extend beyond lower maintenance into greater durability and a quieter biking experience. Polyurethane belts last far longer than metal chains and are expected to grow immensely in popularity among bikers. They’re already included on models from top brands including Trek, Raleigh and Specialized Global.

The Gates Corporation, based in Denver, makes industrial and auto parts for a number of applications. The company has been developing bicycle belt systems since 2007. Its latest system, CenterTrack (available next year), expands its offerings in the growing bike commuter market.

Have your own polyurethane success story you want to share? Shoot us an email at bcampbell@insideSH.com

What Makes a Surprisingly Versatile Story?

PMA is always on the lookout for great stories, industry trends and case studies to use in our marketing efforts.

Your story ideas are vital, so that we can demonstrate the benefits of cast polyurethane in consistent and compelling ways.

We can reach out with these stories to our core industry publications, along with media related to members’ different industry segments—mining, oil and gas, tires and wheels, among others—because if we don’t share these stories, nobody else will.

So what really makes a good story?

Here are a few pointers on the types of stories we’re looking for:

• New urethane material or product announcements
• Examples of replacing parts traditionally made of metal or rubber with cast polyurethane
• How your company is advancing the cast polyurethane industry
• Industry trends you’re experiencing
• New industries you’re breaking into using cast polyurethane products
• Business issues you’re struggling with (i.e. lack of talent in the workforce)
• How you find value in your PMA membership
• Impact of regulations on member companies

By no means is that a full list—just some general guidelines. So if you or someone else at your company has a great story to share, we’re eager to hear it.

Tell us today in the comments. Or contact Brenda Campbell at bcampbell@InsideSH.com 414-270-3521.