ITW is committed to innovating in ways that improve the safety and well-being of our people.
ITW is committed to innovating in ways that improve the safety and well-being of our people. Our Deltar Fasteners plant in Frankfort, Illinois, has demonstrated that commitment by implementing an electronic safety tag system, which uses QR code technology to empower colleagues to report safety concerns more effectively and make it easier to resolve them.
When a colleague identifies a safety incident, near miss or unsafe act or condition, they can scan a QR code located on one of the reporting boards throughout the facility. The code directs colleagues to a form where they can submit a notification (“safety tag”) and upload a photo. This triggers a subsequent notification to the supervisor, who has primary ownership of the response. The supervisor follows up with the colleague and takes action to resolve the issue. Submitted safety tags are also displayed on a large-screen TV, where they can be reviewed with teams at the start of each shift. This shows colleagues that their tag was received and alerts other colleagues of potential concerns during their shift.
Each month, the management team reviews a live Safety Tag Dashboard that shows the closure rate for each department. During this meeting, each department manager presents on tags that were opened and closed in the current month, as well as comments on any trends they see in their area based on the safety tags. This also allows an opportunity for them to request support from other departments if needed.
This electronic safety tag system replaces the previous manual process, in which colleagues had to submit multiple copies of the same handwritten safety tag to different members of the management team, as well as place a tag on the area of concern when possible.
Removing inefficiencies and other concerns related to this system has led to impressive results within the plant. Since 2021, there has been an approximately 1,500% increase in reporting, as well as an approximately 350% increase in engagement. In 2024, the Frankfort plant achieved its all-time lowest number of recordable incidents and experienced no lost time accidents.
The concerted efforts of everyone on the Deltar Fasteners team is an excellent example of how 100% employee engagement and committed leadership can help pave the way toward a zero-incident workplace.
