OSHA Names Small Texas company as SHARP Participant
SigmaPro Engineering and Manufacturing, LLC is one of many small businesses using OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program.
An engineering company in Fort Worth, Texas was named OSHA’s newest SHARP Participant after utilizing OSHA’s consultation program. Now, the company is not only in compliance, but expanding its size and inspiring other companies to keep workplaces safe.
SigmaPro Engineering and Manufacturing, LLC is a small electronic connector manufacturing facility northern Texas. Established in 2000, the company has since grown from a single building to two production buildings, a warehouse, and 150 employees nationwide.
But this story starts years ago: like many small businesses and startups, SigmaPro did have a safety program in place, but the company was not sure if it met all the state and federal requirements. SigmaPro set up a consultation with a Texas safety consultant from the Texas Occupational Safety and Health Consultation Program (OSHCON) on the OSHA website.
After SigmaPro’s initial OSHCON visit to SigmaPro’s main facility in 2015, OSHCON consultants did find safety hazards, but the company’s employees were eager to learn and improve. The OSHCON consultant continued to recommend improving the company’s accident, incident, and root cause analysis program. The consultant also offered tips for creating goals and objectives each year like including safety as a key measure in employee performance evaluations and letting hourly employees steer decision-making in regard to safety.
It didn’t take long for SigmaPro to put these recommendations into effect—or better yet, go above and beyond. In 2016, SigmaPro earned SHARP status. The On-Site Consultation Program's Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) recognizes small business employers who operate a exemplary safety and health programs.
This means that On-Site Consultation Program offers no-cost and confidential occupational safety and health services to small and medium-sized businesses in all 50 states (including the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories). The goal is to simply help companies identify hazards, provide advice for compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing safety programs without penalizing or citing those companies. Acceptance of a worksite into SHARP from OSHA is an achievement that singles the company out among its business peers as a model for worksite safety and health.
One way the company really improved its safety program was through routine employee participation. SigmaPro has always focused on having every employee, from hourly to executive management, involved in the safety program. At the company, hourly employees are tasked with conducting audits and inspections, training their coworkers, and voicing their opinions on safety committees. Alongside this, executive management responds to employees’ safety needs quickly and with purpose.
Safety is not a “one and done” situation. SigmaPro has continued to work with OSHA, and since 2015, it has used many of OSHA’s other resources such as follow-up and training visits. It continues to maintain a low injury rate in its three facilities—and that is significant considering the company worked over 550,000 hours between 2017 and 2017.
For more information, read OSHA’s article on the announcement. Congratulations, SigmaPro!