Celebrating Safety Month: Insights from Rogers' Director of Environmental Health and Safety

Published by Lori Osterling, Director of Environmental Health and Safety
Corporate

The Rogers Corporation Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Department is committed to realizing its vision to “Live Safely,” where everyone, everywhere, goes home safely every day. In celebration of National Safety Month, we interviewed Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Rogers Corporation, Lori Osterling, to gather insight on the progress made and the opportunities in the year ahead.

Interview with Lori Osterling, Director of Environmental Health and Safety

Q: Can you give us a brief overview of Rogers Corporation’s EHS department and your role as its leader?

A: The EHS Department upholds Rogers Corporation’s vision to “Live Safely” and be environmentally responsible. We live that vision through our five strategic objectives that we work towards:

• Achieving Compliance Standards
• Mitigating Risks
• Improving Capabilities
• Connecting with Hearts and Minds
• Reducing Incidents

My role as the director and department leader is to champion our strategic objectives to ensure our key initiatives align with the work that matters most.

Q: What are the primary goals of the Rogers EHS department? What are we working towards?

A: Our primary goals are determined in accordance with our strategic objectives. In 2024, some of our key goals include:

• Mitigating Risks. We launched a “Find it, Fix it” internal inspection to enhance everyone’s understanding of the types of EHS hazards to look for while on the job. We also distribute a “Toolbox Talk” that reviews the topic with all employees, globally. Additionally, we recently improved our “near-miss” reporting process by including these incidents in our Safety Observation Form (SOF). The SOF system allows everyone to document their observations so we can take proactive measures to prevent future incidents.
• Connecting with Hearts and Minds. We completed a global safety survey, gathering everyone’s opinions about the safety culture at Rogers. From the data, we identified our improvement areas and developed actions to take each quarter this year. Our first action focused on starting all meetings with safety. You don’t need to have a meeting specifically about safety to discuss safety in the workplace. Safety needs to be embedded into everything we do.
• Reducing Incidents. No injury is acceptable, and we must continue to strive toward zero injuries. We have a company-wide safety management system in place to evaluate facets from employee engagement to leadership commitment.

Q: What makes Rogers Corporation’s EHS department unique? What are we doing well as an organization?

A: Our department is unique because of our ability to work across regions. We have a global team and we truly interact as a networked organization. We work collaboratively to maintain and improve our high safety standards. The extended EHS team meets each month to review topics, incidents, and successful practices to strive toward our “Live Safely” vision.

Q: What are the most important factors influencing safety culture at an organization like Rogers Corporation?

A: Leadership's commitment to safety is the most important factor influencing safety culture. Throughout the organization, our leaders firmly believe that production never comes before safety. This sets the tone for the entire organization. Leadership’s dedication to safety builds trust and respect, demonstrating genuine care for each other.

Q: What are you looking forward to in the year ahead?

A: I am most excited about continuing to hone our safety culture. I deeply believe we have a solid foundation to build upon. We live by and consistently apply our “Serious 10” safety rules. Now, we need to continuously look for ways to eliminate hazards, actively care for each other’s safety, and empower and involve everyone to be safety leaders.

Q: June is National Safety Month. What are some ways that we can prioritize safety in our own day-to-day lives in the month ahead, and beyond?

A: At the beginning of the year, we launched our Everyday Focus, supporting our vision that everyone, everywhere, will go home safely every day. Safety can never be passive; it must be active. All employees need to think about the task they are about to do, ensure they have the right tools, and know the safe procedure. It’s crucial to understand the what-ifs and what could happen if the procedure is not followed. Being physically and mentally prepared is how we actively prevent injuries. Nothing we do at work or at home is worth putting ourselves at risk for injury. Safety is not an add-on; it can and should be integrated into everything we do.

Environmental, Health and Safety at Rogers Corporation

As we round out National Safety Month, we encourage you to learn more about Rogers Corporation’s dedication to Environmental Health and Safety.

Published on Jun 25, 2024

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