Colorado Real Estate Journal - March 16, 2016
Wagner has been serving customers in Colorado since 1976. We extended our reach and became the Caterpillar Dealer for New Mexico and far West Texas in 2002. Wagner has 30 locations strategically placed from Hayden Colorado to El Paso Texas. We specialize in the rental, sales and service of Caterpillar products, but also represent many other brands through our alliances with Godwin Pumps, Genie Lifts, AGCO Agricultural Equipment, SmithCo Trailers, and many other products. Regardless of what products we sell or where, we leverage our Vision and Values to guide our actions and achieve our goals. Wagner’s Vision is “One Professional Team Delivering Quality Solutions to Every Customer”. We pride ourselves on creating solutions for our customers. Customers’ need more than a machine, part, service, or a rental. Customers need a single solution from a knowledgeable partner who can deliver value across all these areas. That’s what we aspire to do every day. Our Values set the tone for how we interact and work together to deliver you effective solutions. Our Values are, Safety • Teamwork • Excellence • Accountability • Integrity • Communication. These simple values mean a great deal to our business and to our employees, none more than Safety. Our ability to meet your needs as our valued customer starts with ensuring that our employees are well trained and embrace a culture of Safety. We empower our employees to make great decisions, stop un-safe acts and engage their peers when things just don’t seem right. Our mantra is built on the slogan “Safety Begins With Me”. Slogans often come easy but real adoption of the concept takes focus, hard work, consistency and accountability. Wagner has come a long way in recent years with regard to establishing a safety culture. There’s no silver bullet for sure. The goal of creating a safety culture is where it begins. Following are excerpts taken from a framework for creating a safety culture that was developed by OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration). Wagner used very similar concepts to create our current safety culture. Zero accidents is always the goal. We’re not there yet but we’re striving to get there. Obtain Top Management "Buyin" - This is the very first step that needs to be accomplished. Top managers must be on board. If they are not, safety and health will compete against core business issues such as production and profitability, a battle that will almost always be lost. They need to understand the need for change and be willing to support it. Communication-Continue Building "Buy-in" for the needed changes by building an alliance or partnership between management and employees. A compelling reason for the change must be spelled out to everyone. People have to understand WHY they are being asked to change what they normally do and what it will look like if they are successful. Interestingly, communication overall on all subjects within Wagner have improved as a result of our Safety Culture shift. Folks just feel more comfortable discussing important issues as a result of practicing improved communication techniques associated with our safety initiative. Build Trust -Trusting is a critical part of accepting change and management needs to know that this is the bigger picture, outside of all the details. Trust will occur as different levels within the organization work together and begin to see success. Conduct Self Assessments/Bench Marking - To get where you want to go, you must know where you are starting from. A variety of self-audit mechanisms can be employed to compare your site processes with other recognized models of excellence. Initial Training of Management/Supervisory staff, and safety and health committee members, and a representative number of hourly employees. This may include both safety and health training and any needed management, team building, hazard recognition, or communication training, etc. Wagner uses a program called START- SUPERVISOR TRAINING IN ACCOUNTABILITY AND RECOGNITION TECHNIQUES. Please visit http://www.cat.com/en_ US/support/safety/safety-trainingproducts.html to learn more. Establish a Steering Committee comprised of management, employees, and safety staff. The purpose of this group is to facilitate, support, and direct the change processes. This will provide overall guidance and direction, avoid duplication of efforts and focus on what’s important for change. To be effective, the group must have the authority to get things done. Develop Site Safety Vision, key policies, goals, measures, and strategic and operational plans. These policies provide guidance and serve as a check-in that can be used to ask yourself if the decision you're about to make supports or detracts from your intended safety and health improvement process. Align the Organization by establishing a shared vision of safety and health goals and objectives vs. production. Upper management must be willing to support by providing resources (time and capital) and holding managers and supervisors accountable for doing the same. The entire management and supervisory staff need to set the example and lead the change. It's more about leadership than management. Define Specific Roles and responsibilities for safety and health at all levels of the organization. Safety and health must be viewed as everyone's responsibility. How the organization is to deal with competing pressures and priorities, i.e., production, versus safety and health, needs to be clearly spelled out. Develop a System of Accountability for all levels of the organization. Everyone must play by the same rules and be held accountable for their areas of responsibility. Signs of a strong culture are when the individuals hold themselves accountable at both work and at home. Develop Measures and an ongoing measurement and feedback system. Drive the system with upstream activity measures that encourages positive change. Examples include the number of hazards reported or corrected, numbers of inspections, number of equipment checks, JSA's, pre-start-up reviews conducted, etc. Develop Policies for Recognition, rewards, incentives, and ceremonies. Again, reward employees for doing the right things and encourage participation in the upstream activities. Continually reevaluate these policies to ensure their effectiveness and to ensure that they do not become entitlement programs. Awareness Training and Kick-off for all employees. It's not enough for a part of the organization to be involved and know about the change effort - the entire site needs to know and be involved in some manner.