HAND HAZARD HUNT: PHOTO CONTEST RESULTS

After four weeks and many great submissions, the results of the Hand Hazard Hunt photo contest are in!

Throughout the month of February, Western States held a company-wide safety photo contest. To enter, employees submitted photos of hand safety hazards in both their work and home lives with descriptions on how to prevent an injury from those hazards. Out of several awesome submissions, Missoula Rental Tech Apprentice Brady Bare won with his photo of hand safety while using a cutting torch.

“Hot materials could easily burn your hand,” Brady said in his submission, “Be sure to have the right heat resistant gloves on for handling hot materials.”

Safety Director Zach Penich said the photo contest was a success and showcased Western States’ proactive approach to safety.  The submissions showed that there were a variety of different hand hazards, both at home and work, that employees recognized and controlled prior to a hand injury occurring.

“The main inspiration behind the contest was to highlight and remind us that we each have a role to play in mitigating and eliminating hazards, such as hand hazards,” he said, “Many of us actively identify and control hand hazards on a daily basis, so taking the time to recognize that through a contest was a fun way to demonstrate how our active hazard identification and control is alive and well.”

Part of being proactive involves embracing a variety of leading indicators that Western States measures and continues to develop, whether it is our near miss and concern reporting, training or initiatives like the Observation Program, which will be formally rolled out in training soon.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Hand Hazard Hunt contest! Activities like these help us all to look out for ourselves and for each other so everyone can make it home safely, everyday.