Rockwell Automation Releases Tool For Best-In-Class Safety

MILWAUKEE, WI — Rockwell Automation has announced the Safety Maturity Index (SMI) tool, a self-guided assessment that gives manufacturers visibility into the effectiveness of their safety programs and the ability to optimize plant performance. Applicable to any industry, any plant size and any location in the world, the SMI tool helps manufacturers see where they measure in safety culture, compliance and capital. Most importantly, it provides recommendations to help achieve best-in-class safety performance.

The three principal components of a successful safe workplace – culture (behavioral), compliance (procedural) and capital (technical) – are equally critical and interdependent in developing a strong, sustainable safety program. For example, creating and maintaining a robust safety culture but not investing in safety technologies and/or complying with standards lowers a company’s ability to provide a safe workplace. Likewise, the possibility of risk remains when manufacturers invest in safety technologies but fail to emphasize the importance of safety culture throughout the organization.

Each safety pillar is measureable in the SMI tool using four categories – SMI 1: minimizing investment, SMI 2: attaining compliance, SMI 3: cost avoidance and SMI 4: operational excellence. By answering a series of questions, manufacturers can complete the SMI assessment and determine how they measure in each of the four categories. The report also provides recommendations for improvement, if needed.  

“The benefits of optimizing safety through the SMI assessment can result in fewer injuries and fines, as well as improved plant productivity, greater efficiencies and enhanced employee morale,” said Mark Eitzman, safety market development manager, Rockwell Automation, who is presenting the SMI tool at the America’s Safest Companies Conference in Atlanta on Oct. 28-30, 2013. “Achieving best-in-class safety performance begins with assessing current practices companywide, and now customers can do this on their own.”