From Handshakes to Hugs

When State Fund Loss Prevention Engineer, Christy Moran, first visited Lenore*, a State Fund policyholder at her manufacturing facility, she noticed some conditions that could be improved in order to increase worker safety.  The owner wasn’t intentionally being careless, but didn’t realize that improvements could be made.

Lenore was initially hesitant when Christy came to visit, not realizing that the purpose of the visit was to help make her workplace safer.

Christy explained to Lenore that the purpose of her visit was to help the business provide a safer working environment; not to penalize her. Christy then identified areas of risk for the business and recommended actions to improve worker safety. Although Lenore was worried that the suggestions would take time and she’d have to stop work to make improvements, she agreed to make the changes.

When Christy returned a few months later, she couldn’t believe the worksite transformation. Lenore and her business partners had cleaned the machine areas, painted equipment red and yellow to stand out, installed machine guards, and removed tangled cords.

Lenore later reported that, with Christy’s guidance, she realized that these changes were a great investment to the business and toward her workers’ safety and loss prevention.

Christy’s initial handshake with Lenore turned into to a hug and was the beginning of a wonderful partnership.

Adding icing on the cake, after the business made these changes, it secured a contract with a large worldwide manufacturing corporation.

* The name of the policyholder has been changed to respect her privacy and confidentiality.