Stauffer Glove & Safety PPE Helps Keep Philly Shipyard Employees Safe
With the right partner, you can transform your organization’s PPE strategy from reactive to proactive. Instead of trying to catch up with PPE demand, you can improve your facility’s safety record and ensure that your employees stay healthy and happy in their roles, creating a better workplace culture to attract and retain talented employees. That’s what Stauffer Glove & Safety has helped Philly Shipyard do. One of the top shipbuilders in the U.S., with a state-of-the-art facility and a reputation as a preferred provider of ocean-going merchant vessels, Philly Shipyard has delivered around 50% of all large ocean-going U.S. Jones Act commercial ships since 2000. In addition to their exemplary track record, they’ve invested over $300 million in training to build one of the most highly skilled workforces in the country. As they’ve rapidly grown over the past 20+ years, they’ve been a valued client and partner of Stauffer Glove & Safety. The partnership is founded upon a mutual dedication to providing their shipbuilders with the best possible manufacturing PPE.
PHILLY SHIPYARD’S UNIQUE MANUFACTURING PPE NEEDS
The men and women of Philly Shipyard make a significant contribution to the infrastructure needed to support global commerce. The importance of what they do cannot be overstated, but building ships is complex and challenging. To do these pivotal jobs safely and effectively, they need manufacturing PPE that can withstand the shipyard’s unique environments. Each area presents its challenges, from the fabrication shop and panel shop to the grand block shop, paint shop, and finally, the dock shop.
Being a rapidly growing company frequently onboarding new employees also presents unique obstacles. While the safety team has strong educational programs to help supervisors learn how to prioritize safety and PPE compliance, it takes a little time for them to gain the ability to spot issues with PPE as quickly and easily as more experienced employees.
As a result, the safety team spends a lot of time identifying PPE issues on the floor and talking with shop floor employees to understand why they might not be wearing it correctly or at all.
• Does the PPE not fit well?
• Does it hinder their ability to perform their job tasks?
• Is it uncomfortable, and is there something else they feel would work better?
The safety team also trains supervisors to ask these questions, and they rely on this information to ensure they’re providing employees with the best option possible. Their deep relationship with Stauffer means they also share this information with their account representative so Stauffer can also identify ways to provide for those needs. For example, the shipyard needed safety gloves that offered the functionality and dexterity required by their employees, plus cut resistance. Stauffer offered the shipyard their Trackman safety gloves, with all the functionality needed for the job with the addition of ANSI Cut Level A4, Puncture Level 4, and Arc Flash 4 ratings. Once Trackman was available, Philly Shipyard switched so they could offer their employees added safety against cuts, dexterity, comfort, plus a variety in sizing. The Philly Shipyard team also uses Stauffer EdgeGuard4s cut resistant gloves with a polyurethane coating for added grip, a 13-gauge seamless knitted liner, and a soft finish for excellent dexterity and comfort. For eye protection, they rely on Stauffer’s Orion anti-scratch, anti-fog clear lens spectacles with an ultra-light build for comfort and a wraparound design for extra protection.
A DECADES-LONG COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING SHIPBUILDERS WITH THE BEST MANUFACTURING PPE POSSIBLE
High-quality products with perfect-fit features weren’t the only factors that influenced Philly Shipyard to choose Stauffer for a variety of manufacturing PPE.
“Even though Stauffer has grown a lot, they still have the same family-owned feel, and that goes a long way,” says Carl Danley, HSE Director for Philly Shipyard. “When we reach out, if we need anything, we always get a quick response. Relationships mean a lot, so for us that’s always been important. The combination of great products with great customer service is what’s really kept us together.”
With a fast-growing and increasingly diversified workforce, the Philly Shipyard team must provide more variety in sizing than ever before. Dexterity, functionality, comfort, and safety across all sizes are critical to keep every employee comfortable and safe while doing their job. Providing such a variety of high-quality PPE can be prohibitively expensive, but Philly Shipyard is 100% committed to providing the best for their employees.
“Stauffer goes above and beyond when it comes to offering good pricing for PPE, which really helps us reach the safety goals that always come first at Philly Shipyard,” said Julia Campos, HSE Manager. “Plus, they make it easier for us to stay up to date with the latest innovations in PPE. We can order samples, try them out with the workers, and see how they like them. It’s great to be able to keep up with the newest things coming out to ensure our people have the best safety gear they can.” “We view our relationship with Philly Shipyard as a true partnership, and the feedback we get from them when employees test our products is absolutely invaluable. We’re looking forward to many more decades of partnership with their team,” added Stauffer Local Account Manager Liz Edwards Warrenfeltz.
AN EXPERIENCED PPE PARTNER THAT GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR SAFETY
Contact Stauffer Glove & Safety and we’ll help guide you through optimizing your PPE management program. We have a team available to help with discovery, installation, implementation, and ongoing support.