Zero harm safety coins at Komatsu: History and purpose
Where did it all begin?
Our zero harm safety coin was initially launched as a motivational initiative at our Gillette, Wyoming, U.S., facility in 2012.
The coin was so popular that it expanded throughout all North American operations locations by 2015 and globally in 2016.
Now recognized as a global best practice, the safety coin can be found in nearly every employee’s pocket on and off the job. It is an important symbol that is intended to reinforce and shape our safety culture by encouraging conversations and reinforcing key safety principles and process.
What is its purpose?
The coin is used by employees to encourage a safety conversation when a worker presents their coin to a fellow employee “challenging” them to produce their coin by asking, ‘Do you have your coin’? If the other worker, or group cannot produce their safety coin, then the person or group without their coin on them at that time must provide a safety share, or safety story/learning. In Komatsu, we start every meeting by asking, ‘does everyone have their coin’ whether in person, or online video meeting the same rules apply. We encourage our employees to take their coins home and talk to their loved ones and friends about what the coin means.
Safety coin impact
The safety coin has become a very strong messaging tool driving our zero harm initiative and has provided a great source of engagement between employees, customers, members of the communities and family.