Lean and Green Becomes Lean and Safe

For some time now we’ve been hearing the buzz words of “Lean and Green” only to be confirmed if one were to Google the term. Little needs to be said for anyone to have an understanding of this concept or the related importance as driven by corporate executives for sustainability of operational excellence. However, hold onto your hats. In my opinion it looks like a new corporate initiative culture is about to catch the Lean and Green “draft” called - Lean and Safe!

For years now industry has been learning and implementing the integrated Japanese kaizen system for the elimination of waste in manufacturing. This process is well known to lean out and remove waste from the process of manufacturing. So - why can’t this tool also be applied to achieving the OSHA mandate that every employer must provide a safe work place for every employee? The answer is it can by eliminating the unnecessary waste of injuries, lost production, too much machine guarding , too little machine guarding, illnesses through exposure, and so forth. Herein lies the introduction to the concept of Lean (elimination of waste) and Safe (effective hazard mitigation). The combined concepts promise to challenge senior management and their organizations over the next several years just as the kaizen concepts did in the 1970’s and 80’s. However, a driving fuel for Lean and Safe could be the current economy and a manufacturer’s need for a competitive advantage. I believe this initiative can truly become the next Lean and Green and machine safety will be the benefactor.

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