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Started in 2002, Marson International has become the leader in large and small-diameter tube fabrication for a diverse customer base. Located in Elkhart, they maintain a comprehensive, versatile, and state-of-the-art production facility capable of manufacturing the most critical and sophisticated tube assemblies. Their capabilities range from rapid prototyping, through low and mid-volume production, to high-volume runs requiring manufacturing cells. Marson International is ISO 9001:2015 certified with a team of highly skilled professional engineers who understand the importance of user-friendly, adaptable designs to manufacture high-end components and assemblies for some of the most innovative and quality-focused automotive brands in the world.  

Situation:

After employee turnover, Marson International needed a full-time safety manager to serve its Elkhart facility with approximately 160 employees. In the interim, the responsibilities of the position were spread among other employees with full-time positions and the overall safety metrics reflected the lack of attention. Through an active search, Marson found a candidate who needed an apprenticeship to get up to speed for the rigors of the safety manager position and the company’s potential safety risks.

Solution:  

Purdue MEP worked with Marson International and the Department of Workforce Development to submit the grant application that would ultimately pay for the safety apprenticeship. They then customized an 18-week program that focused on Occupational Safety and Health development as well as some leadership and soft-skills training. One day a week for 18 weeks, a Purdue MEP team member was onsite at Marson working one-on-one with the safety manager-in-training throughout the duration of the apprenticeship. The program also included an OSHA-30 Hour General Industry training for 7 employees. Purdue MEP has taken Marson further in its journey to making safety the number one priority within the company. The employees of Marson are committed to taking what they learn and adapting it into their everyday lives.

Results:

The benefits of the apprenticeship program are numerous. The safety program at Marson now has true leadership and a driving force behind making positive changes. During a 24-week time period after training was completed, Marson had 0 work-related injuries, 0 OSHA recordables, which also means 0 hours of missed work due to injuries, and 0 hours of employee time spent back-filling positions. The company is working efficiently in all positions as originally intended. They are also seeing a reduction in Worker’s Compensation costs and insurance premiums have gone down and will continue to be reduced based on their 3-year rolling EMR. Not to mention the amount of new medical bills due to work-related injuries has been $0 during that timeframe.

Employee morale has seen a positive boost as well. With the commitment to a full-time safety professional on staff, several employee initiatives have been enacted and well-received, including the creation of a safety committee comprised of employees from multiple departments, providing the employees a voice in all safety initiatives. They meet monthly to work on several over-arching goals including the reduction of work-related hazards, hazard prevention, addressing any near-miss issues, and creating a culture that promotes safety first.

In addition, employees are volunteering to be trained as ‘first responders’ for any incidents that do occur in the future. They are seeking ways outside of their normal roles to help in establishing and maintaining a truly effective safety culture at Marson. The entire team is working together to change how people think and feel about safety.

The leadership team is truly supportive of the entire program and celebrated with a company-wide party when they reached the milestone of 13 weeks without an injury. They continue to support the program through any new initiatives requested by the safety manager and safety committee.

Results metrics:

• Cost savings of $36,000 due to acquired federal funding for apprenticeship training
• 0 Work-Related OSHA Recordable Injuries for 24 weeks
• 0 days away from work due to work-related injuries for 24 weeks
• Active Safety Committee comprised of 10 employees
• 7 employees with OSHA-30 Hour General Industry certificates
• Increased employee morale
• Employees are actively involved and committed to working safely

“When I arrived at Marson International the first thing we did was assemble a safety committee to work on the challenges of creating a safer working environment, where the employees were actively involved in the safety process. Through the Purdue MEP instructor, we formed a safety committee to meet monthly, and we have changed the culture to one of 'safety first'. We are now approaching six months of recordable injury-free. This would not be possible if not for the OSHA 30-Hour training and support granted to us by Purdue University.”

- Dave Eli, Safety Manager, Marson International

 

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