Poster Power and Teamwork brings Safety Awareness to the forefront at Muir Omni Graphics

June: National Safety Month is fast approaching but the 2013 plan to highlight Safety Awareness at Muir Omni Graphics has been in the works for several months. The more I talked with the Safety team (as a group and individually) the more the little details of our safety awareness promotion fell into line.

Team Composition would be key for success. I had visions that teams of a departmental nature might experience problems if they didn’t have a defined time or place to work. Some team members might be inclined to wander away to get back to their work station. My next thought was to create teams that presented a cross section of the company as a whole. Each team would include office staff, screenprinters, managers, packagers, etc. With just a little over forty employees, I have always divided them into four groups – cross-sectionally- in order to allow for required training without causing disruption to production. Yes, this would be perfect for this event too. Each team was to have one member of management, one safety team member and at least one person who could speak both English and Vietnamese. We wanted to make sure everyone on each team understood the mission and the intent of the contest.

The Contest required each team to create a poster that best describes Safety Awareness at Muir Omni Graphics. It seemed simple enough.


During an employee meeting, I called off names of employees and everyone moved to stand with their “group” without knowing why. I was anxious to see their reaction to the contest and I was so pleased to see excitement and anticipation. Overall it was a positive reception. Employees left knowing the details of the contest were to be posted soon.

Through the next couple of weeks, the final details came together nicely.

• Each team was assigned a date and time to meet in the MUIR conference room.
• Each team would receive their own supplies kit. (Each of the kits would be identical)
• Supplies included: 2 pieces of poster board, one pair of scissors, markers, colored pencils, glitter glue, glue tape, construction paper, tissue paper, googly eyes, pompoms and paint kits.
• Teams had 75 minutes to create a team name, brainstorm ideas and create their poster.
• Poster theme: Safety Awareness at Muir Omni Graphics.
• All work was to be original and hand drawn. No computer time or internet would be  allowed. This included logos, slogans, and signs (though the MUIR logo was acceptable). 

The Judges: I contacted my colleagues at the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council to ask if the staff might be interested in acting as our judges. They not only agreed but were delighted to be included. To top it off, they are featuring our contest in the IISC July Newsletter. Everyone is delighted!

 

Team four is, at this very moment, working away in the conference room with about 35 minutes to go. Team one, two and three have completed their posters and all think theirs is the clear winner! I have not peeked at any of the posters to keep myself unknowing and unbiased.

 

As this week has progressed I have been overwhelmed by the spirit of camaraderie, teamwork and accomplishment with pride. Go Team MUIR! Stay Tuned – Contest results will be forthcoming!