Safety Remains a Top Priority for 2023
February 23, 2023
As we set our sights on 2023 and beyond, safety — one of our key SERVICE values at CoolSys — remains a critical focus, particularly in light of lessons learned from last year.
In 2022, for example, we experienced 135 OSHA-recordable injuries. That comes out to 4,100 days of lost time and $1.2 million in worker’s compensation claims. Zach Bates, director, EHS, sees those numbers as an opportunity for positive change at CoolSys.
“We had 135 employees unable to perform their jobs to their fullest ability,” Zach says. “It is a huge human cost for those employees to lose 4,100 days. Our employees are just too valuable for that.”
According to Zach, there are a number of factors that can contribute to a safer work environment. For example, technicians can plan ahead to do their job safely, identifying hazards and risks before starting their work. Managers can coach their employees in the field, promoting safe habits, always listening and following up with employee concerns. Maybe most importantly, it’s critical that all field employees keep up with available safety training opportunities.
Safety Training in Canvas
Canvas is the new learning management system for CoolSys. Employees who have never logged in to Canvas will need to access it through CoolNet. The Canvas training team will assign the safety courses after the employee has logged in.
“Safety training applies to all field employees, managers, project managers and service coordinators,” says Ryan Herda, director, Operations Integration. “Safety should become a habit for all of us, and we have put the tools and resources in place to make that a reality.”
Weekly safety requirements include CoolBox Talks, which take around 15 minutes per week to complete. OSHA compliance topics are also assigned monthly. The main topic in February is electrical safety, and fall protection is on the agenda for March. It is important to note that completion of safety content is required for technicians to earn quarterly bonuses.
“It’s imperative that we change our business operations to encompass a heightened sense of safety,” Zach says. “We need to work together as ONE TEAM to make CoolSys a safer workplace for all of us.”
To log in to Canvas: Open a window on a desktop computer on the CoolSys network (preferably at your home branch). When logged in, you will be sent to https://coolsysinc.sharepoint.com/sites/Intranet. Scroll down and select “Safety Training.” This automatically directs you to your Canvas dashboard. www.coolsys.instructure.com.