Reflections on the EHS for Diagnostic and Medical Devices Summit

Event overview

The EHS for Diagnostics and Medical Devices Summit in Boston offered an opportunity to explore how organizations can enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) across the medical device lifecycle. Attended by industry leaders such as GE Healthcare, Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson, the summit presented innovative approaches to eliminate workplace risk, ensure compliance with EHS processes, avoid heavy fines and promote a safety-minded culture to ensure a zero-harm environment.

Our VP of Biotech and Industrials, Lindsay Speed, attended the event where she gained valuable insights into the future of EHS practices in the industry.

Key takeaways

Engaging employees in safety culture

• Ask “What makes your job difficult?”

Asking people about the challenges they face can be a powerful way to uncover issues and improve workplace safety.

• Encourage people to admit mistakes and celebrate them when they do

Emphasizing Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) by celebrating employees who admit mistakes rather than punishing them is crucial. This approach not only creates a learning environment but also mitigates the blame culture, which is essential for improving safety practices.

• Rebrand incident investigation

Changing terminology from “incident investigation” to “learning event” highlights a shift towards a more constructive and educational approach to understanding workplace incidents.

Enhance safety through design and process

• Design for safety
  Implementing hurdles and safety checks in the design phase of equipment can significantly enhance safety outcomes. Asking whether a production line can operate according to established protocols is a vital consideration during the design phase.
• ISO certification by site
  Achieving ISO certification at the site level, rather than globally, can offer a competitive advantage and ensure localized compliance and quality assurance.
• Identify and mitigate error traps
  Recognizing “error traps,” such as identically designed buttons that lead to confusion, is essential. Simplifying and differentiating controls can reduce mistakes and enhance safety.

Building a culture of safety

• Cultural awareness in safety practices
  Successfully embedding safety into an organization’s culture requires acknowledging and adapting to existing cultural dynamics. Effective change occurs when initiatives meet employees where they are, respecting cultural norms and behaviors.
• Leadership’s role in safety
  The standard set by leaders directly influences organizational safety culture. As James Reason states, “The lowest standard leaders demonstrate is the highest standard the organization can expect.”
• Embed safety into daily practices
  Integrating safety with quality and production processes is critical. Embedding safety into everyday practices ensures it becomes a natural part of the workflow rather than a separate task.
• Develop a common language

Developing a safety culture requires a shared language that accurately conveys risks and responsibilities. Using precise terminology, such as referring to situations as “unsafe conditions” rather than “near misses,” ensures that communication is clear and focused on prevention.

Proactive safety measures

• “Take 5 minutes”
  Encouraging teams to take five extra minutes to ensure tasks are executed correctly can be transformative. This “PrepareProtectPrevent” mindset reduces rushed decisions that could lead to errors or accidents.
• Ask, “Are we one decision away from a fatality?”
  This question helps maintain awareness of the potential consequences of unsafe practices and decisions.
• Trust but verify
  Validating the root cause of problems is crucial. Trust insights from the workforce but verify them to ensure comprehensive solutions.

The summit clearly highlighted the importance companies within  diagnostics and medical devices industry place on continuous improvement and cultural integration in safety practices. By  focusing on  innovative strategies, employee engagement, and setting high leadership standards, organizations can create an environment where safety is  embedded in every aspect of the workflow.

Did you attend the EHS Diagnostics and Medical Devices Summit? We would love to hear your takeaways and insights! Sharing experiences and knowledge is key to advancing our collective understanding and enhancing safety practices across the industry.

Contact us to share your thoughts and join the conversation.