From the editor: The “I” in team

Mar. 27, 2015 – I started covering the industrial automation market last November, and since then, I have reported on the investigation findings of nearly a dozen recent injuries and fatalities that occurred in the Canadian workplace.

In my opinion, that’s nearly a dozen too many.

The investigation into one case determined the hydraulic press that killed a 19-year-old worker had ineffective guards and no stop blocks. Another found that a worker suffered second-degree burns because a production line’s screen changer was not equipped with a shield to help protect against hot plastic.

We’ve actually had to create a separate Machine Safety tab on our website to accommodate all this coverage.

Manufacturing AUTOMATION takes its role as the industry’s authoritative voice very seriously. We strive to keep you informed of the latest manufacturing technologies, industry news and products, as well as training and safety news.

This is why we have partnered with Precision Training, Products & Services Inc., a provider of industrial automation training solutions, to bring you the Safety Compliance Workshop.

Scheduled for April 29 in Mississauga, Ont., the event offers an interactive workshop highlighting machine safeguarding, an important safety concerns for the Canadian manufacturing industry. Attendees can also expect to gain in-depth understanding of relevant Canadian standards.

My friend, a former hockey coach, once told me the saying, There’s no I in team, was absolutely wrong. “Even though there isn’t the letter I in the word, if I don’t do the best I can, how can the rest of my team play to its full potential?” he asked.

This same reasoning can be applied to safety. Creating a culture of safety is a team sport that begins with each and every one of us. We must all play our part to champion and advocate machine safety best practices with the goal of bringing these numbers down. Hopefully together, we can ultimately turn the industry into an injury-free workplace.

This column previously appeared in the March/April 2015 issue of Manufacturing AUTOMATION.