What do you think of when you hear the word FOCUS? It has several different meanings. It can be used as a noun to mean the center of interest or activity, or a verb meaning to adapt to the surrounding conditions to be able to see clearly, or also the act of purposely concentrating and paying particular attention to something. What a perfect word to represent the process we are undertaking to foster and create an Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Excellence culture.
Focus - the center of our activity.
Focus - adapting to conditions to see things clearly
Focus - purposely concentrating our efforts on something
Every day in the US, more than 12 people die on the job- over 4500 a year! It's also estimated that more that 60,000 people die each year from unreported occupational illnesses. And every year, more than 4.1 million people suffer a serious work related injury or illness. The total cost to the American economy for workplace injuries and illnesses is estimated to be roughly $250 billion per year. This amount exceeds the yearly cost to the economy of several prevalent diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Perhaps it's time to "refocus" our thinking!
Here at Atlas Oil, FOCUS has another meaning... it means the Face Of the Company United in Safety! We are all the face of the company, whether we drive a truck, work in the office, dispatch drivers or sell our services. Whenever you interact with anyone else, even another employee, you are the face of the company... to that person, you are Atlas Oil. So whether our drivers are courteous and pleasant to the customers they interact with, or drive aggressively and make rude hand gestures to other drivers - they are Atlas Oil. When a member of the public calls into an office looking for information and are treated either pleasantly or rudely, an impression of Atlas Oil is formed.
But ATLAS FOCUS is so much more than just the realization that we all represent the company. It also means we are United in Safety. Safety is not only about taking precautions, it's also very much about taking responsibility! We haul very flammable and often explosive materials through the streets of big and small town USA... EHS excellence must be a top priority... every day... every trip... every task... every person. There can be no compromise - the consequences are just too critical. Our EHS Policy lays out the five primary FOCUS areas of our EHS Excellence Culture - Prevention; Continuous Improvement; Compliance; Efficiency; and perhaps the most uncomfortable but most vital, Courageous Intervention. We are called, as individuals and as a company, to be UNITED in Safety... to courageously intervene when presented with situations where our EHS integrity is jeopardized by conditions and practices that are not aligned with our excellence culture. In an unsafe situation, or even a potentially unsafe situation, don't just walk away. Take responsibility for getting it corrected. Whether it's in the office, while you're traveling, or at the work site, wherever you see something that you believe is unsafe, or could lead to an adverse incident, speak up! And remember, if you are on the receiving end of this courageous intervention, you are the face of the company. The feedback you just received might have just saved your life.
FOCUS!