What is a good catch?

What is it?

Foundry experts explain that a good catch program is a proactive way of increasing safety awareness at a plant. It allows everyone to be engaged and be more safety conscious at all times.  The result of a good catch is to point out any safety concerns that can be addressed quickly and fixed before they potentially cause an accident. This program can be thought of as a tool for employees to use to proactively address potentially unsafe hazards. “Anything can cause an accident.  Big or small, we have to pay attention to them all,” said Penn-Mar Castings, LLC site leader Tom Young. Good catches are important because they not only keep our employees safe, but also prevent lost time and profit. We asked site leaders at each one of our locations to provide us with a recent good catch that they found to be notable, to which they said the following:

C.A. Lawton Co. (De Pere, WI) site leader Jake Brunke –

Calling out suspended loads in dangerous locations.  Also, the forklifts are using more horns than previously.  A noticeably larger presence of forklifts and traffic in all areas.

C.A. Lawton Co. (Minster, OH) site leader Dave Givens –

The blast machine had an old panel on the back that was defective. A diligent worker identified that it was still live and turned it into maintenance. The condition was worse than expected and maintenance had the panel properly disconnected and safely returned the machine to production.

Temperform, LLC (Novi, MI) site leader Gloria Webber –

An operator was trying to operate a piece of equipment that was locked out.  The lockout was identified, and a stand down was actually performed with all in the area involved.  Team members were taught to look for the how and why of the lockout and how to recognize it.

Penn-Mar Castings, LLC (Hanover, PA) site leader Tom Young –

Cap-ex project was nearing completion.  The operator reviewed the changes and identified how changing an air hose in the hopper put the operator’s hands in a dangerous location.  This led to a lockout box being installed on the start switch to prevent accidental engagement.

Northern Iron & Machine (Saint Paul, MN) site leader John Henry –

Hoist cable on 30 square ladles was frayed.  Recognized by the worker and hoist was taken down to replace the lines.  Save the company from a possibly dangerous and costly spill.

These are just a few recent examples of good catches at our foundries. Whether you’re an employee or visitor, hopefully these can give you an idea of what to look out for! Safety is our top priority and we continue to strive for perfection at each one of our sites. Does your foundry have a good catches program in place? Why do you believe they’re important?