Chesapeake’s strong safety culture is evident once again with a recent achievement at Compass Manufacturing. The 45-person team at Compass recently celebrated eight years without a recordable incident with a cookout at their Oklahoma City location.
“We have total buy-in and ownership in safety. If anyone gets complacent, we call it out,” said Supervisor of Quality Control Adam McDiffett.
Compass is an affiliate of Chesapeake and was formed in 2007 to supply the company with natural gas compression packages and production equipment.
The team’s unwavering focus on safety is embedded in their day-to-day work and through ongoing meetings and communication. They have an employee-led safety committee that meets once a month to focus on safety topics, such as proper rigging techniques, to help prevent serious injuries. The committee then shares that information with employees on the shop floor. They also have safety tailgate meetings once a week and a safety stand-up every morning.
“We just have good safety culture,” said Welder Ethan Plumlee. “We are our brother’s keeper, and we don’t want anyone getting hurt and not going home to their families.”
The team credits the company’s comprehensive safety program that empowers employees to take ownership and accountability for themselves and others. They especially noted the Good Catch Program which recognizes employees and contractors for outstanding HSER performance or instances when Stop Work Authority was used to address a concern. They also regularly perform Job Safety Analysis (JSA) to document potential hazards associated with a given project.
“One thing I like about our emphasis on safety is that carries over to your home life, too,” said Assembler Greg Hamby. “Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have thought to wear goggles while mowing my lawn. Now, it’s always on your mind even with those certain little things you do.”
Additionally, they ensure new hires are thoroughly trained on the safety procedures and enforce an intensive safety regimen, including being assigned a mentor for at least six months before they can work on their own.
“New people here know that safety is for real. It runs from top to bottom, and if something isn’t acted on and we see a problem, we talk to them about it,” said Welder Scott Davis.
The team also recognized leadership for instilling the safety culture and reinforcing it every chance they get.
“Management has been great. They really put it in our hands to make sure we’re safe. We’ve always had really good open communication and discussion. If one of the crew members see something, and we tell a leader, they always have our back,” said Quality Control Analyst Zack Smith.
While admitting it can be challenging to maintain such a high focus on safety, the Compass team is committed to see how far they can go.
“Everyone really takes pride in our safety record. No one wants to mess it up,” Zack said.
