About

With new equipment, injury reporting procedures, safety processes and an overall renewed focus on team member well-being, Pallet Consultants has shown itself to be one of the most safety-conscious companies in the industry.

Gus Gutierrez, founder and CEO of Pallet Consultants, says this move is part of a larger goal for the company. “Safety has always been a priority, but now we’re doubling down,” he says. “We were already ahead of most of our competitors in terms of safety, since many of them skirt even basic OSHA and fire hazard regulations,” he explains, “but just like Paul O’Neill is quoted by Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit: ’But there’s one thing I’m never going to negotiate with you, and that’s safety. I don’t ever want you to say that we haven’t taken every step to make sure people don’t get hurt.’ And I’m not going to negotiate on safety either.”

There have been new purchases like googles that don’t fog in the humid Florida summers, new guards on machines, better gloves and brighter lights. Longer and more comprehensive training periods with detailed videos and safety suggestion boxes placed around the warehouse have also made workers more aware of safety procedures and more confident in reporting potential hazards, according to Daniel Suarez, the Pompano Beach Operations Manager.

“We are now proactive versus reactive,” says Suarez. “We have added new lighting for much clearer pathways for our forklift drivers. Upgraded nail guns with added safety features. Upgraded and added new cameras for internal review and training,” Suarez explained. He also said Pallet Consultants has “increased training and awareness companywide with new safety videos that loop on TV screens in our cafeteria daily.”

Team members at Pallet Consultants already had access to health insurance, 401k and other benefits, but the company wanted to do more according to Gutierrez. “Take for example our new injury reporting system,” Gutierrez says. “If someone gets hurt, management has to send the report to executives within 24 hours, along with an action plan to prevent it in the future. That action plan is shared with all other managers at our other locations, and they all share their own suggestions and take notes.”

Suarez’s favorite development is “team awareness and willingness to not only protect themselves but their coworkers by pointing out anything they think could be unsafe.”

Being without injuries is a lofty goal, but one Gutierrez is confident in. “We’ll get there, and be the safest company in the industry. It’s only a matter of time.”