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 keeps everyone engaged and safety-conscious at all times.  A good catch program helps point out safety concerns so they can be addressed quickly and fixed before they potentially cause an accident. This program is a tool employees can 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, forklifts are using their horns more than before.  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 in to maintenance. The condition was worse than expected, and maintenance properly disconnected the panel 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 installing a lockout box on the start switch to prevent accidental engagement.

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 catch program in place? Why do you believe they’re important?