At Winston Plywood and Veneer, safety is more than a catchphrase or a goal set by management.
Safety means protecting employees on every shift, and it also meant introducing a new culture that invited – rather than required – employees to get on board.
On Thursday, February 15, at its regular management meeting, Kalvin Hackney shared some positive news regarding safety statistics for 2023.
Winston Plywood had only one recordable, reportable accident for 2023. Statistically, they were at .18 percent, which left the plant ranked at “number two.” The only plant to rank higher scored a .12 percent.
Hackney reminded those present that the goal of WPV is to get to number one, but, most of all, to have no recordable accidents.
Hackney is one-third of a team that oversees safety at Winston Plywood. This team includes LaShonda Baker (Office/Safety Administrator) and Jameshia Bash (Safety Coordinator). Hackney added that their team efforts are an intricate part of the success that WPV is experiencing in regards to safety at the mill.
As of February 15, WPV has gone 356 days without an accident onsite. The previous record was 303 days. The occurrence of any reportable accidents is down exponentially since 2019.
Multiple members of management spoke out to note that this is a huge change to the workplace culture of WPV since 2019. Hackney pointed out that he and his team want to get every employee on board with maintaining a safe work environment. He added that this – getting numbers down to few or no reportable accidents – “has never been done at WPV before.”
One way Hackney and his team have changed the culture at WPV is by adding training in the event of an on-site accident. The Elite Reaction team is specially trained on getting an injured person to safety in the event of an accident. This includes removing the injured person safely from a machine and then providing care until first responders arrive. Hackney shared that the Elite Team is immensely important due to the limited healthcare resources available in the county. The Elite Team was modeled after other successful teams at other plants.
“The goal is to get to zero incidents,” shared Hackney.
The safety meeting at Lake Tiak O’khata wasn’t the only item on the agenda.
Because health and safety was the topic of the meeting last Thursday, the company invited two special guests.
First up was local meal prep planner Amber Avant. Amber began her meal planning service recently, and for a mere $50 per week (for five evening meals at $10/meal), Amber provides her clients with nutritious meals that are already cooked – not frozen.
Amber shared her own story; she recently focused on her own eating habits looking to improve them. She lost sixty pounds after her last baby, and she decided that she should use her knowledge and talents to provide a service to the community.
Amber is currently working to incorporate a lunchtime meal as well as juicing because she’s noticed “people just don’t get all their servings of fruits and vegetables.”
Amber then revealed that she has been working alongside a personal trainer located right here in Winston County, Hillard Smith III, who was also present at the meeting. Hillard owns Hilltop Athletics and he works chiefly out of Wall 2 Wall Fitness in Louisville. Both encouraged employees to take advantage of these services in Winston County.
