STS case studies
STS · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The STS designation is a supervisor-level safety credential. It is aimed at front-line supervisors, foremen, team leads, and crew chiefs whose job title is not "safety professional" but whose daily decisions set the safety tone for the people working under them. The STS case studies are 5 cases and about 4,670 words.
1The Sump Pit That Read Zero
A maintenance crew of three is assigned to pump out and wipe down a 6-ft-deep sump pit in a coatings department. The pit normally holds rinse water, but two days ago a drum of xylene-based cleaner was emptied into it during a line changeover.
707 words, about 4 min2Target Zero and the Disappearing Near-Miss Cards
A 320-person food packaging plant launched a 'Target Zero' program in January: any work group that finishes a quarter without a recordable injury receives a $250 bonus per employee. In the same quarter, the new operations manager began personally interviewing every employee who filed a near-miss card and asking each to explain in writing what they had done wrong.
1,009 words, about 5 min3Twelve Gallons and Two Volunteers
At a 140-person metal finishing plant, a lift truck strikes a 55-gallon drum of solvent-based coating and punches a hole near the bottom. About 12 gallons pool on the concrete and creep toward a floor drain that discharges to the municipal sewer 20 feet away.
958 words, about 5 min4Three Lacerations and the Same Sentence
Over 14 months a fabrication shop has had three lacerations to the left hand or forearm, all at the same manual deburring station. Each investigation form reads: 'Employee failed to follow PPE policy.
981 words, about 5 min5The Horn, the Roster, and the All-Clear
A 24/7 distribution center employs 180 people plus 30 to 60 agency temporaries per shift. The building has one evacuation signal: a continuous horn.
1,015 words, about 5 min