by Brianna Crandall — July 3, 2015—The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently announced the winner and honorable mentions for its 2015 Award for Innovation in Occupational Safety Management. Jack Reiter, president and CEO of Machine Safety Management, was selected as the winner for creating software that reduces machine guard accidents. Reiter invented Machine Safety Management (MSM) Software, which helps businesses and schools conduct, store and manage machine safety audits, risk assessments and machine information.
MSM Software is a comprehensive solution that changes the way organizations handle machine safety, says ASSE. The software documents due diligence, risk assessments and information for each machine to provide safety managers with an accurate, highly detailed view of their entire organization’s machine safety compliance. By transitioning machine data to a digital format, it also allows managers to more easily and quickly access important materials. According to Reiter, the software is “currently helping customers from schools to Fortune 500 companies improve machine safety, limit accidents and reduce citations and fines.”
The honorable mentions for the award, all lauded as “outstanding ideas that are making a difference for workplace safety,” are:
- Randy Brown, president, KemKey, Edgewood, NM, for KemKey Safety Couplings, which use different shapes, colors and markings to reduce the opportunity for chemical cross-contamination during transfers;
- Grant C. Chustz, crane operator supervisor, Jacobs, Torbert, LA, for Barricade Buddy, which provides added protection for craftsmen working in close proximity to cranes, riggers working directly with cranes, and crane operators;
- Cory M. Davis, CEO, Capital Construction Solutions, Chicago, IL, for its mobile Safety application, which is used by contractors, owners, construction managers, program managers and facilities managers to review a list of best practice safety questions depending on the work being performed, and to rectify issues that are identified;
- Sally L. Koch, former EHS manager, Leatherman Tool Group, Independent Safety Management, Portland, OR, for 5 Star Safety at Leatherman Tool — “Letting Your Inner Superhero Out.” The safety management and improvement program sets expectations and challenges all employees, from frontline workers to senior management, to become world-class safety performers by letting their own safety superhero shine.
- Anthony M. Krake, Environmental, Safety and Quality manager, Alpine Painting & Sandblasting Contractors, Paterson, NJ, for its Digital Management System for Small Business. The affordable system uses iPads, a software application and a cloud-based storage system to store data files, allowing instantaneous collaboration between offices and field crews. It has improved document management, Alpine’s safety culture, and compliance with safety standards.
Sponsored by Cintas Corporation, provider of on-site safety services and training solutions, the award was presented along with a $3,000 cash prize and a plaque at Safety 2015, ASSE’s annual professional development conference.
