Promoting Safety
Managing health and safety has always been a priority for everyone at Dover. Given the wide diversity of our businesses, products, and geographies, these matters have historically been managed primarily at the individual operating company level. As such, operating company leaders regularly examine safety performance, including assessing root causes of recordable injuries, and promote leading safety actions. In addition, each of our facilities has a designated safety representative who works closely with the facility general manager to promote safe work practices and analyze safety incidents to prevent them from recurring.
Beginning in 2019, Dover began the process of overseeing operations management, including safety, from the corporate center as part of a set of initiatives designed to improve operational efficiency and enhance the continuous improvement programs embedded in its businesses’ day-to-day operations. In 2020, as part of the evolution of Dover’s operating model, and building on the strong foundation of exemplary safety practices already in place, Dover appointed its first Vice President, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). This role is responsible for the development of integrated safety and health strategies and implementation of EHS policies, procedures, and best practices throughout the organization.
We regularly conduct safety self-assessments to thoroughly examine safety culture and processes. The assessment process consists of documentation review, site safety walks, and interviews, and provides a detailed evaluation that includes scoring, supporting evidence, findings, and opportunities for improvements. The self-assessment evaluates critical safety procedures such as materials management, recognition programs, communication practices, risk management, safety policies, environmental factors, equipment, and leadership engagement.
Our practices have improved our safety performance over time. We plan to continue these activities and explore new methods to further promote health and safety in our workforce. In the near term, we aim to use a variety of tools, from focusing on a culture of safety to leveraging data and analytics to drive continuous improvement.