2018 NSC Congress & Expo

87 - Get(ting) Engaged: 101 Grassroots Teams Lead Culture Change at a Major Utility (Room 381A)

23 Oct 18
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Tracks: Mgmt. Ldrship., Empl. Engmt. & Cltr.

Speaker(s): Steve Simon, President, Culture Change Consultants Inc.; Daniel Pfeffer, Millwright Asbestos Worker, J.H. Campbell Unit 1&2 Plant; Nathan Waters, Safety Culture Team Professional, Consumers Energy

Moderator(s): Tom Pitts, Director Safety and Environment Services NAM, Schneider Electric Co.;

Consumers Energy is the major utility in Michigan. In 2005, it initiated an enterprise-wide safety culture change initiative, resulting in a 90 percent reduction of injuries. In 2016, it earned recognition as the safest major electric utility in the country. Building a multi-site structure of 101 grassroots safety culture teams and implementing hundreds of improvement projects is a rare achievement. How was it done? What tools were used? What obstacles were overcome? This session will be jointly presented by the originator of the Grassroots Safety Leadership approach and two employee leaders – one union and one management – of the Consumers Energy Safety Culture Transition Team, which has led the process within the company over the past decade.