A message from our president

Samuel Strapping Systems | U.S. Operations | Woodridge, Ill. | Spring 2014
Torch Tales
A message from our president
As we move past the
middle of 2014, I’d like to
talk with you about safety
in our workplace.
BOB HICKEY
Every year, workers at Samuel
Strapping are injured. Some are
injured so badly that they miss days
of work. In 2013, we lost 313 days
related to injuries. In 2014, we lost
11 days in the first three months.
Ninety-six percent of workplace
injuries are the result of our own
behavior. In other words, if we had
worked better together in 2013, we may have avoided 300 of those
lost days.
Our safety record is better than most companies, especially
considering the nature of our work environment. We work with hot
extrusion lines with temperatures over 650 degrees and process
material under pressure. We work with molten metal at 1600
degrees and we have machines that can rip a man’s arm off if we
don’t use them properly.
I intend to make Samuel Strapping the safest company in the
entire family of Samuel companies, and the safest company in our
industry. My goal is zero injuries – that’s the GOLD medal. If we
look out for one another, we can do it.
We have talked about improving our culture to improve
behavior, and we have made great strides on many levels. The next
phase is engagement.
I cannot think of a better way for us all to show we are engaged
than caring about the safety of one another. Injuries have a lot of
consequences, but the greatest for our Samuel employee family
is the indelible memory that begs the question, “Could we have
prevented that person from getting hurt?”
We have a response to that question: Become actively and
intelligently engaged in workplace safety. SPEAK UP.
This year, we all have established and are actively engaged
in local safety committees; we have appointed the very talented
Ed Ratcliff to head up our division safety program and to work in
cooperation with all safety personnel. In June, Samuel Strapping,
Longview and GO all participated in Safety Week to further focus on
our progress.
We will judge our success by how well we work together to keep
one another safe. Would you expect less of your co-workers?
We still need to do better, but we’ve made progress in bringing
our injury rates down – and by this, I mean FIRST AIDS, MEDICAL
AIDS, LOST-TIME ACCIDENTS AND LOST-TIME DAYS. A key
factor is that we now evaluate every reported near-miss. With
the number of reported near-misses rising, which shows that
employees are speaking up about potential safety hazards, we
should also see improvements in other areas.
This won’t be because of cheerleading – it will be because we’re
consciously changing our behavior for the better. As employees
of this company, you have agreed to become part of something
important. You’re devoted to creating a habit of excellence.
If we look out for one another,
we can do it.
We intend to spare no expense on promoting a safer workplace.
This includes training, personal protective equipment and process
review. We will instill in our company a habit of being safe and doing
a job right the first time.
Safety improvement will be an indicator that we’re making
progress toward our goal of changing the entire organization’s
habits. That’s how we, as a group, should be judged. That’s how
we’ll know we’re improving in every way that is important to
our success.
Thank you for doing your part to make this an even
greater company.
Sincerely,
Bob Hickey
President, Samuel Strapping U.S. Operations 
1
Employee Spotlight: Ed Ratcliff
Ed Ratcliff has spent nearly two decades looking out for the
safety of Samuel Strapping’s employees. With his recent
promotion to manager of environmental health and safety, U.S.
operations, he now plays a bigger role than ever in promoting
safety companywide. Here, he talks about the company’s safety
culture, why near-misses are good and how you can make a
difference in your workplace.
Q: One of Samuel Strapping’s top priorities is
promoting a culture of safety. How do you contribute to
that goal?
What we’re trying to do is promote the idea of people looking
out for one another. When it comes to safety, we’re all equal.
Everyone is Samuel. It’s not about punishing employees for
doing something wrong; it’s about showing them, ‘Hey, this is the
right way.’ I would expect that if I came onto the plant floor and
I didn’t have the appropriate gear on, someone would tell me.
Safety is not just one person’s responsibility; it’s a team effort. I
rely on everyone to make our safety efforts successful. We have
quite a few hazards at our plants, and we’re working on getting
employees to recognize and report them. It’s actually working
really well.
Q: Regular plant audits are one of the main ways that
Samuel Strapping promotes safety. What do the audits
consist of?
We’re having a lot of success with employees reporting
near-misses. In March, we had four; in April, we had nine;
and we already have nine for May. Near-misses are actually good
because they show that people are recognizing and reporting
potential hazards. They help us to avoid accidents.
Q: What can employees do to make their
workplaces safer?
Everyone has a role to play. If someone’s not doing something
right, show them the right way. If they are doing it right, say,
‘Good job.’ No injury is acceptable – we want zero accidents.
That’s the goal we’re trying to promote. There are financial
ramifications as well if you get audited or inspected by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but the most
important thing is to keep everyone safe. You have to ask
yourself, would you let your child or wife do that job? If you feel
comfortable saying that, you’re doing your job. 
A CLOSER LOOK
I manage safety audits for the Heath location, and other
locations complete their own safety audits. The audits focus
on many things. We begin by looking at housekeeping items,
such as floors and work areas. We try to maintain a clean
environment where everything has a place. We look for slip
hazards and make sure machine guarding is in place. We verify
that engineering controls are functional, E-stops are labeled
and present, proper devices are in boxes … those are just some
of the things we check.
After I review the process, I quiz the employees on it, asking
them things like, ‘How do you lock out this oven?’ It’s an open-book
test – they can refer to the manual if necessary, but they have to
show me exactly what to do. I rotate through the processes when
deciding what to audit. If I get a lot of feedback in a certain area,
I’ll audit that one next. Typically, the areas with more new hires are
the ones with the most questions.
Q: In what other ways does Samuel Strapping
promote safety?
All new hires complete safety training, and then we re-train
them as their certifications expire. Companywide, each location
holds a monthly joint health and safety committee meeting.
They also have to complete an audit of an area and create
an action plan to fix anything that they’ve found. In addition,
corporate provides us with a monthly safety topic, and every
employee takes a quiz on the topic. If a location has an accident
or near-miss, they have to complete a report. I review all the
reporting and make sure everyone is in compliance. Everyone is
doing a great job.
Q: Have you seen signs that Samuel Strapping is
becoming a safer place to work?
Samuel Strapping Systems Spring 2014 Employee Newsletter
NAME: Ed Ratcliff
TITLE: Manager
of Environmental
Health and Safety,
U.S. Operations
ED RATCLIFF
YEARS AT SAMUEL
STRAPPING: 20; 18 in
safety-related roles
WHAT HE DOES: Ratcliff is the company’s
compliance auditor, which includes
making sure everyone is completing
their safety audits, receiving the
appropriate safety training, holding their
monthly safety meetings and completing
their safety quizzes. He also oversees
safety for the Heath, Ohio, plant, where
he is based. In addition, Ratcliff manages
environmental permitting.
We had an accident … what now?
When it comes to work-related accidents, Samuel Strapping’s
ultimate goal is to eliminate them. If one occurs, however, we
act quickly to care for any injured employees and prevent similar
situations in the future.
That was the case during a recent lost-time accident at our Fort
Payne, Alabama, plant. While working on a banding machine, an
employee attempted to lift the equipment manually and tore his
bicep. Samuel Strapping sought medical care for the employee
and then conducted an accident investigation. As a result, the
plant implemented an electric hoist to allow workers to lift the
equipment safely.
“Our main priority is caring for our employees,” says Ed Ratcliff,
manager of environmental health and safety, U.S. operations.
“That’s why every accident has to be reported immediately, so that
we can remedy the situation and correct any issues, if necessary.”
If an accident that involves injuries or property damage
occurs, Samuel Strapping follows the procedures below to
address the situation:
»» C
are for injured employees. Samuel Strapping makes sure
employees receive immediate medical attention and follows
up with care facilities during their recoveries. The company
also helps its employees obtain workers’ compensation and
accommodates them with modified job duties, if necessary, so
they can return to work quickly.
»» I nvestigate the incident. Ratcliff typically receives an initial
report within 18 hours of the accident, at which point he
begins his investigation. He interviews witnesses to find out
what happened and whether everyone was following the
appropriate procedures.
»» I mplement changes, if necessary. Based on Ratcliff’s
findings, Samuel Strapping may instill one of three controls.
The first line of defense is an engineering control, such as
a hoisting device. The second is an administrative control,
where the company makes a rule about how to perform a
process safely. The third option is requiring workers to wear
personal protective equipment, such as cut-resistant sleeves.
Getting to our goal of zero accidents requires the help of every
employee at Samuel Strapping. By watching out for potential
hazards and reporting unsafe conditions, you can help make your
workplace safer for everyone. 
Playing it safe with plant audits
Ensuring the safety of everyone at Samuel Strapping is our top priority. By performing regular audits, our goal is to correct
hazardous conditions that could contribute to lost-time or property-damage accidents.
Here’s what we look for during process audits at our plants, at which time we rate each item acceptable, unacceptable or in
need of immediate attention:
Floor and work areas
»»
»»
»»
»»
»»
Clean floors
No trip hazards
Defined walkways
Stairs and ladders
Desks, cabinets and
chairs
Electrical
»»
»»
»»
»»
All boxes labeled
No exposed wires
Extension cords
Electrical box cover
plates
»» LOTO in place
Machine guarding
»»
»»
»»
»»
Physical guards
Pinch points
E-stops present
Bench grinders
»»
»»
»»
»»
»»
Hand grinders
Saws
SSOP/PSR in place
Labels/decals present
Equipment lockout points
Hazardous/
environmental controls
»» Spill containment
»» Substances labeled
»» Storage of flammable
products
»» Manufacturer labels
»» Decanter labels
»» WHMIS/HAZCOM
»» Equipment ventilation
»» Container grounding
»» “No Smoking” signs
General safety items
»» T
rucks and mobile
equipment condition
»» M
obile equipment
pre-shift inspections
»» Washroom and
break-room cleanliness
»» Safe mobile equipment
operation
»» Current safety postings
»» First-aid room and kit
inspection
»» Handling equipment
condition
»» Smoking violations
»» Safe lifting
»» Emergency exit signs
»» Fire extinguishers
»» Confined spaces defined
»» Indoor and outdoor
lighting and security
Material storage
»» Coils blocked and secured
»» R
acking and shelving
condition and capacities
»» Sheet material stacking
»» Skidded material stacking
»» Empty skid stacking
»» Lumber and commodities
storage
Personal protective
equipment
»»
»»
»»
»»
»»
»»
»»
Safety shoes
Cut-resistant sleeves
Safety glasses
Hard hats
Gloves
Hearing protection
Grinding shield and
goggles
»» Welding (hood, gloves
and apron)
3
Checking in with on-site safety
Here’s what some of our locations are doing to create and
promote a safer workplace for everyone:
Fort Mill, South Carolina. Employees are applying the
“5S” principles of lean manufacturing: sort, set in order, shine,
standardize and sustain. These concepts and other safety
measures, including adding designated walkways and increased
signage, help keep everything in order. Twice-yearly mock
Occupational Health and Safety Administration inspections also
highlight potential improvements to the facility and its equipment.
The safety team recently organized a “near-miss blitz,” where
every employee learned more about how to identify and report a
near-miss.
Cartersville, Georgia. Employees are applying the working
principles of “5S” to effect leaner manufacturing. All the
employees have worked together to make the plant a safer place
to be. Most recently, they installed pedestrian walkways and made
other improvements. The plant also participated in a noise and
hearing conservation program and spent a day focusing on heat
stress and summer safety.
Fort Payne, Alabama. The employees at this facility are
focusing on applying the company’s safety program to their scope
of work, including introducing equipment to help with heavy lifting,
obtaining more forklift certifications and enforcing the rules about
personal protective equipment. The team is also working on
renewing everyone’s CPR certifications.
Longview, Texas. This business focuses on a slightly different
range of customer and employee needs compared to the needs
of the manufacturing plants. The facility has received new
forklifts and other improvements to keep everything up to code.
Renovations also helped to increase its environmental safety.
Longview recently spent time working with its office personnel on
how to improve the ergonomics of data entry.
Heath, Ohio. Constantly working to improve safety awareness
and hazard prevention, the plant routinely quizzes employees on
safety measures in person and on kiosks located throughout the
plant. In addition to applying the “5S” principles of lean manufacturing, better signage and electronic safety guides, managers
recently installed lights that project on the floor in the front and
rear of the forklift to help keep everyone clear of its path. 
‘Safety Week’ at Samuel
All of our locations participated in “Safety Week” in June, which gave everyone a chance to gear up with personal protective equipment,
run evacuation drills, practice emergency preparedness and more. Here’s a peek at a few locations’ activities. 
FORT MILL, SOUTH CAROLINA
CARTERSVILLE, GEORGIA
WOODRIDGE, ILLINOIS
HEATH, OHIO
Samuel Strapping Systems U.S. Operations
1401 Davey Rd #300
Woodridge, IL 60517
(800) 323-4424
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