Every January it's customary for many people to establish New Year's resolutions for the upcoming year. Studies have shown that on average it takes approximately 66 days of continuous daily practice for a behavior or routine to become automatic. So the carb-cutting, gym goals, and learning new skills go out the window before the end of January for many individuals.
Why do we let these go most of the time? We only make these goals or resolutions once a year. Resolutions are the solution if you are willing to forgive yourself if you miss the mark. Because once we see the mistake or failure we tend to talk ourselves out of the goals. But how often should we look at our goals? Daily reminders are what we aim for here at S&P USA so that each day becomes a step towards our end goal of establishing a safe environment for staff and visitors alike.
For S&P USA, safety is our biggest goal for 2023! We have been driving a culture of safety daily and ensuring this stays an everyday goal, not just a yearly initiative. We have rung in the New Year pushing many new directives to help increase our level of safety in our facilities with many more things to come.
S&P USA has demonstrated this importance by becoming a member of the North East Florida Safety Council (NEFSC), joining the likes of Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Allegiance Staffing, and more. The primary objective of NEFSC is to prevent accidents and safety hazards in the workplace with the goal that every workplace will be a safe environment.
Holding strong to the concept that continuous learning makes practices last, S&P USA kicked off February with a First Aid/CPR course through the Northeast Florida Safety Council to certify staff across shifts and facilities. Staff that attended the training were excited about the opportunity to learn a skill that not only helped increase the safety of our workplace but also a skill that they would be able to take home to help provide reassurance that they might have the ability to act in life-threatening situations involving their loved ones.
S&P USA also kicked off our monthly Safety Committee meetings at both facilities. During our initial meeting, we outlined the goals of the Committee to bring safety to the forefront and make it known that our hard-working staff plays the biggest role in this mission. As an exercise during the Safety Committee, we asked our team how many individuals knew where the fire extinguishers were located in their work areas and the facility altogether. Some quickly found that during our facility tour, there were many extinguishers staff had no knowledge they were even there. We stressed the importance of knowing the locations and maintaining clear access to these tools so that in the event of an emergency staff would be able to respond quickly and effectively. 
It did not take long for the investment in the importance of safety to pay off. The day following the facility tour a piece of machinery ignited a spark during a metal-cutting process and a small fire ignited. Without hesitation, the employee was able to quickly retrieve the closest fire extinguisher and completely put out the fire. Quick thinking and action were vital in saving the machine, facility production, and most importantly, protecting the staff in the area.
There is no greater feeling than seeing working towards goals paying off so early in the process. But the work doesn't stop there for S&P USA. We are excited about several trainings planned for this year that prove to be impactful in increasing the safety of our facilities.
"Each one, reach one. Each one, Teach one. Until all are taught."
- Mark Victor Hansen