A Spotlight on Health and Safety Measures at Johns Manville

Meet Sherry Pond

Sherry Pond, Global Health & Safety Leader at Johns Manville (JM), shared her insights into the evolving culture of safety at JM and her personal journey into the safety profession.

With a background in biology and a graduate degree in occupational and environmental health, Sherry’s early career experiences piqued her interest in health and safety which led her to pursue better holistic workplace safety measures. 

Join us as we learn more about Sherry, her insights on creating a culture of safety and how her past experiences have helped her lead JM to a new understanding of risk assessment and injury prevention. 

Q: Have you always wanted to be a safety professional?

A: Originally, I had no aspiration to become a safety professional; I didn’t know the field existed. My involvement with asbestos identification during my first job at a power plant sparked my interest in health and safety. This led to pursuing further education in occupational and environmental health. 

Q: What can you tell us about JM’s history in regards to health and safety?

A: JM's history with asbestos lawsuits has significantly shaped its approach to safety. The company emerged with a commitment to never repeat past mistakes, leading to the development of one of the most mature industrial hygiene databases across the industry. This incident underscored the importance of having a robust health and safety culture.

Q: What is the primary role of an industrial hygienist?

A: Industrial hygienists focus on the health aspects of the health and safety profession, including issues such as air quality, reducing exposure to noise and ergonomics. 

Q: What is human and organizational performance, or HOP?

A: The field of safety is shifting toward understanding the context behind what people do to get work done. HOP moves away from placing blame on people for safety incidents and instead focuses on systemic issues and organizational strategies to understand the differences between how we imagine work takes place (i.e., the procedures we develop) and how job tasks are actually performed.

Q: Can you tell us about the hierarchy of controls in safety?

A: This five-level framework is essential for understanding and implementing controls to reduce risk and prevent injuries. This structure consists of an inverted pyramid with five levels listed from most effective to least effective. 

They rank:

1. Elimination

2. Substitution

3. Engineering Controls

4. Administrative Controls

5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

If higher-level controls such as elimination or substitution can’t be implemented, safety professionals recommend using a combination of the lower-level controls to have layers of protection. In case one control fails, there is a backup method in place. At JM, we’re placing more emphasis on implementing higher-level controls to reduce injuries.  

Q: What are the unique safety challenges that JM must address?

A: Due to the continuous operation of melting glass, JM's safety processes must accommodate the inability to simply "shut down" operations. This presents unique safety challenges and risks that must be understood and properly managed to keep our workers safe.  

Q: What standards of accountability does JM follow?

A: Although headquartered in the United States, JM adopts, where possible, the highest level of protection standards globally, emphasizing risk reduction over mere compliance.

Q: What is your best advice when it comes to safety protocols?

A: It's crucial to design systems that account for human error, ensuring that failures result in safe outcomes. One example is robotic systems that default to safe positions in case of failure.

Q: What is your perspective on creating a culture of safety? 

A: I would argue there is no distinct "safety culture." Rather, it’s about the overarching company culture that values doing business in a way that cares for its employees. This philosophy extends beyond the workplace, influencing employees’ actions in their personal lives.

Q: What is your perception of age and gender demographics at JM when it comes to the safety team?

A: In general, the safety field is predominantly male, but the gap is closing. JM boasts a balanced demographic with environmental health and safety professionals, which is unique compared to other companies I’ve worked with. In the United States, the average age of safety professionals is over 50, so there's a pressing need to attract younger generations to this field.

Q: What is an indicator of safety success at JM?

A: Safety professionals often face the challenge of their work being thankless, as their impact is mostly noticed through the absence of injuries. If we can shift the focus away from measuring failures (i.e., the number of injuries) to measuring the risk reduction efforts we’re implementing, that is considered an indicator of success. 

Q: Do you have any closing thoughts?

A: Echoing Thomas Krause and Kristen Bell who are industry leaders in safety improvement, "To make the workplace safer, you actually have to make the workplace safer." This involves integrating safety controls into all processes to ensure a truly safe working environment; one that doesn’t rely on people to perform their jobs flawlessly.

Sherry's insights provide a comprehensive overview of the evolving culture within JM and the broader industry. Her journey from an accidental safety professional (no pun intended) to becoming an advocate for a holistic approach to workplace safety underscores the importance of learning from past mistakes, embracing organizational change and prioritizing employee well-being.