Engage, Educate, and Empower During June Safety Month

The National Safety Council's National Safety Month in June serves as an annual reminder that safety is not a task to complete, but a culture to cultivate. With OSHA reporting 391 manufacturing fatalities in 2023—in sectors that include pulp and paper—June Safety Month invites sites and contractors to reassess their processes, elevate training, and leverage tools that enhance year-round performance. It is also a time to evaluate gaps, reinforce best practices, and re-commit to the shared responsibility of ensuring every worker goes home safely.

Communicating a Consistent Safety Message

Variability in safety training, inconsistent documentation, and administrative burdens introduce risks that threaten both safety and operational efficiency. Graphic Packaging International’s Beverage Operations facility in Monroe, LA, tackled this challenge head-on by adopting TAPPISAFE as its standard safety communication platform.

“TAPPISAFE became our one-stop shop for safety communication,” explained Kathy Cooper, Health, Safety, and Environment manager at the Monroe site. Working closely with the TAPPISAFE team, the facility developed site-specific content that incorporated actual images and signage from the plant. “That level of customization makes a big difference. Safety training is no longer vague—it’s specific to our site. Now, whether it’s a contractor working on a new line or someone here for routine maintenance, they all receive the same safety message.”

Managing Contractors Onsite

As sites rely more heavily on contractors, it's essential to ensure that every person entering the site has the proper training, awareness, and documentation. Yet many facilities struggle with developing or maintaining a formal qualification process.

A recent Over the Wire poll revealed that 25 percent of respondents lack a contractor qualification system, while a PPSA-TAPPISAFE webinar found that 44 percent of attendees struggle with managing multiple contractors across locations.

During that same webinar, guest speaker Reggie Epps, safety director at Universal Blastco, offered a candid look at his company’s journey. "In the past, everything was manual: insurance reviews, compliance checks, onboarding. It was slow and left us vulnerable.”

Digital tools like TAPPISAFE’s Contractor Qualification are helping facilities streamline these processes by centralizing documentation, reducing errors, and providing clear visibility into contractor readiness before they arrive onsite.

Elevating Workplace Hazards Recognition and Prevention

As facilities strengthen their safety communication and improve contractor management, the next step is ensuring that everyone onsite can recognize and prevent the hazards most likely to cause serious incidents. TAPPISAFE supports this effort by providing focused, practical training that addresses both high‑hazard activities and everyday operational risks.

TAPPISAFE’s high‑hazard offerings include courses in Fall Protection, Confined Space, and Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), core areas that require elevated control measures and regulatory compliance. The TAPPISAFE program also features an industry‑specific Dust Mitigation course tailored to the unique combustible dust risks found in tissue and converting environments.

Complementing these are foundational courses designed to reduce the common hazards that contribute to many workplace injuries. For example, the TAPPISAFE 101: Slips, Trips, and Falls course helps employees identify fall hazards, understand protection systems, and apply preventive strategies. These skills are essential to mitigating one of the industry’s most frequent incident categories.

Building a Culture That Lasts Beyond June

While June highlights the industry’s commitment to safety, sustaining that commitment requires year‑round focus. Consistent safety communication, a streamlined contractor qualification process, and targeted training that improves hazard awareness all play critical roles in ensuring that facilities, employees, contractors, and visitors remain prepared and protected throughout the year.

TAPPISAFE is a safety orientation and contractor verification program that enables employees, contractors, and visitors to complete site-specific training online, ensuring they arrive at the site ready for gate entry. Learn more at tappisafe.org.