An MPW Safety Coin may just be an ounce or two of metal, but its meaning carries far more weight. With the new year under way, Director of Safety and Training Matt Dawson reminds all employees to think about the importance of safety and all the coin represents. “Make this a toolbox talk,” he said. “Ask how the coin or pin helps remind people of safe work, share some good (safe and appropriate) photos of individuals
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r groups holding their coin or safety pin at different locations, and share any stories about how a coin or pin served as a safety, health, or environmental reminder.”
In 2006, Monte introduced the MPW Safety Coin—based on Military Challenge Coins—as a physical representation and reminder of the company’s commitment to safety. There have since been six versions of the MPW Safety Coin, which means different things to different people in the field.
“It means coming back home the way you went to work,” said Technical Trainer Issac Hill. “I know when I go out of town, when I get home the kids come running up. The Safety Coin reminds you of coming home to your family. So, you think of your family when you think of safety. MPW is a work family, too.”
“Out in the field, it helps me look for the unrecognizable hazards,” said Makla Knisley, a supervisor at a chemical plant in Circleville, OH. “Dealing with our customer, for instance, we do a lot of block and bleeds and a lot of times they don’t cap pipes. That’s a thing I’ve learned to look for holding the Safety Coin, because it’s about the same size as the caps that go on the pipes, so that’s kind of my reminder.”
“I wake up in the morning and I’m safe; I’m alive,” said Cody Storm, team leader at an automotive plant in Marysville, OH. “It reminds me to make sure I come home safe and for the people around me to come home safe.” He said the coin is roughly the same size as the cap on a water jetting shotgun. “So, it kind of helps remind me as I’m taking it out of my pocket to look at the equipment I’m working with and make sure that everything about it is in good working order. And, if it’s not, to stop the job and make sure I do what I need to do to be safe,” Storm said.
Jason Bellows, a Technician in Rockport, OH, said the Safety Coin is a reminder that you can be as safe as you want to be, but there are a lot of moving parts around you, and you’re surrounded by people doing a lot of things. It’s good to always know what’s going on, to be defensive,” he said. “Prepare for the worst. If the person next to you isn’t being safe it could affect you. Sometimes you have to look out for them as well as yourself because even though you may be doing this safely, if he’s not doing that safely, it could hurt both of you.
“It’s a reminder not just for yourself, but for the guys around you, too,” Bellows said. “It’s a reminder not to become complacent, because once you get comfortable with something, it’ll become like tunnel vision. You get blind to all the stuff around you, and that’s usually when you’re going to get hurt. Expect the unexpected!”
“We do things, large and small, every day that make work and life better and safer…or not,” Dawson said. “Choose better and safer and use our coins and pins as a tool for our culture and safety.”