Safety: The Goal is Zero Editor’s Note: This installment of Candid Visions is an interview with Peter Taschner, Dresser-Rand’s former chief safety officer for company operations worldwide. Taschner accepted the position of director of operations for Olean Operations in October, 2006 but maintained his role as chief safety officer until March, 2007 when Joseph (Joe) Megginson was named chief safety officer, worldwide for Dresser-Rand. Megginson is located in D-R's Houston, Texas offices. Many of us may take safety for granted when we go to work each day. But Peter Taschner, Dresser-Rand’s former chief safety officer, does not take safety lightly. He recognizes that safety is something every employee needs to focus on every day. Taschner’s goal for incidents and injuries among employees at Dresser-Rand locations and on clients’ sites is zero. “The secret to operating injury- and incident-free is to eliminate unsafe behaviors,” Taschner emphasizes. Using many short behavioral audits, risk behaviors are identified and steps are taken to eliminate those behaviors. By using behavioral auditing techniques, many unsafe behaviors that could result in injuries and accidents have been eliminated by D-R employees. At the core of the company’s safety program is the D-R Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Management System. The system comprises four principles: (1) all injuries and incidents are preventable; (2) staying injury free is the responsibility of all employees; (3) employees must be thoroughly trained and involved in safety matters; and (4) “good safety is good business.” Research shows that, for the most part, injuries result from unsafe behaviors. Because most safety programs focus on conditions to improve safety, they struggle to see results. At Dresser-Rand, the focus is on eliminating unsafe behaviors. HSE improvement is a continuous process. Based on annual safety assessments made at various sites, objectives are set and plans to achieve them are established. Employees are then trained, and the plans are implemented. Sustained improvements are intended to be achieved as a result of these efforts. Dresser-Rand manages the HSE system the same way it manages other aspects of its business. The HSE system is given the same priority as cost, quality, productivity, on-time delivery and employee relations. Potential safety problems are viewed as opportunities for improvement. Good safety communications result in all employees understanding the goals, objectives, plans, performances and current safety issues. The editor of insights spoke to Taschner about his role as Dresser-Rand’s chief safety officer and how the position contributes to the success of the company. insights: Why is Dresser- Rand's safety program so important to D-R clients? Taschner: Dresser-Rand’s safety program shows our clients that a company that has the operating discipline to have a great safety record will have that same operating discipline in all other aspects of its business, for example quality, on-time delivery, costs, etc. Clients want to see a good corporate safety record, because they use it to measure the overall abilities of a company. We also directly affect the client's own safety performance when we are working at their sites. insights: How does the Dresser-Rand safety program work in unison with D-R clients? Taschner: We participate with client safety programs while working within the structure of our own HSE management system. If we come upon other effective safety programs – at a client’s site, for example – we can integrate them into our own HSE management system.