Continuous improvement and safety culture gain strength in the workplace

At Aeroflex, a Parana industry in the manufacturing sector, a simple PVC pipe became a symbol of transformation. Installed by a collaborator to prevent an iron rod from slipping and causing accidents, the adapted device became a reference. There, initiatives like this do not go unnoticed and are publicly celebrated through the “Safety”, a process created to recognize who contributes practical ideas to make the factory safer. In 15 months, dozens of solutions were implemented (some without cost, but with high impact.“Security, here, is no longer seen as a cost or as a rule. It is a value, something that we must practice even when we are doing something like Marcigla, and a company is looking at a company is not a health care, and a little bit of safety).

Aeroflex is an aerosol solutions manufacturer based in Curitiba (PR), and its experience reflects a growing movement in Brazilian industries: the incorporation of continuous improvement tools as an accident prevention strategy. One of the pillars of this process is lean management, an approach that aims to make work more efficient, eliminating excesses and focusing only on what adds value. The debate gains momentum with World Day for Safety and Health at Work, celebrated on April 28, which takes place in parallel to the National Campaign for the Prevention of Accidents at Work (Canpat 2025), launched in April by the Ministry of Labor and Employment.

The subject is urgent. Federal government data they reveal that Brazil registered, in 2023 alone, more than 732 thousand cases of accidents and work-related diseases. Of these, 2,780 resulted in death and more than 6,300 in permanent disabilities. Underreporting still prevents a complete picture. It is estimated that the economic impacts exceed the R$ 400 billion per year, equivalent to up to 4% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the Statistical Yearbook of Labor Accidents of the Ministry of Social Security.

For specialists, more than formal protocols, it is necessary to cultivate a culture of safety, and it is at this point that methodologies such as 5S, the basis of lean management, gain prominence.

Organization, perception and belonging

Consultant Edison Medeiros, Lean management specialist and consultant at the Gemba Group, compares the care of workers to the zeal one has for a small child.“If there is a table with a corner, it is no use telling her not to hit her head. It is necessary to eliminate the risk condition. And with adults it is the same thing”. According to him, the first step is to structure the environment to prevent the error from happening.“O 5S helps exactly that. When you take away what is not necessary, it organizes the space and standardizes routines, reduces accidents and improves physical and mental health.

The methodology, created in Japan, involves five pillars: use, ordering, cleaning, standardization and self-discipline. It goes beyond appearance, as it directly influences ergonomics, circulation, visibility and behavior. “Many occupational disease begins when the employee needs to bend repeatedly, seek out objects out of reach or live with invisible dirt, such as dust and” fungi, says Edison.

Brasilio da Silva, expert consultant with 30 years of experience and experience in work safety, reinforces the argument. “When you start taking care of the basics how to signal a take, plug a hole in the floor or eliminate an exposed wire (, is starting a process that changes the way everyone sees the environment. Security begins with the visible, but transforms the invisible: culture.”.”.

But to work, the method can not be imposed.“Sense means understanding. The person needs to know why he does, understand that it protects. Otherwise, he will only comply when the manager is looking at”, adds Edison. He argues that companies that want to implement a culture of security need to promote understanding and generate a sense of belonging: “When the employee feels he is cared for, he takes care of back”.

Simple actions, long-lasting effects

At Aeroflex, lean manufacturing has been implemented in partnership with the Gemba Group, which is a consultancy specializing in Lean management, continuous improvement and professional training. Since then, the area of security has gone from supporting to protagonist. “Today we have seven committees, including the 5S and the Security Guardians.All employees participate in some. The goal is to make the responsibility for security be shared”, explains Marcelo Arice, EHS coordinator at Aeroflex.

He cites other examples of improvements proposed by the employees themselves. An electrician increased the brightness of an area by 40% by replacing the milky acrylics of the luminaires with transparent ones. A Production Supervisor adapted discarded cages to transport bonbons more safely. Even the cup maker proposed adjustments in the organization of the cup to improve a simple process of passing a coffee and still avoid short circuits.

The purpose that safety is value & not only obligation ( is at the center of change. “We work with risk perception, something that varies between people. Some people are unconsciously insecure, and do not realize that they are in a condition of risk. The focus now is to level this perception”, says Marcelo.He highlights that critical areas such as logistics and forklift operation receive targeted training to develop attention and safe behavior.

Brasilio agrees and recalls that one of the great difficulties in companies is precisely the absence of shared perception. “Each takes care of its square, but real security requires that everyone knows how to recognize risks and communicate what they perceive. This is corporate citizenship.”

Management and leadership systems by example

In addition to individual actions, the safety culture needs structure. Brasilio advocates the adoption of management systems based on international standards such as ISO 45001, which organizes processes and guides decisions based on data. “A company that already maps risks and monitors indicators is much more likely to act preventively. And can even dispense bureaucratic steps required by law, such as the Risk Management Plan (RMP). This shows that management and security go together”, explains the consultant

According to him, many companies still see security as an expense, not as an investment. “Despite this, it only takes a single serious occurrence to understand that prevention costs less”, Brasilio points out.He argues that effective training, reliable data and active listening are used to sensitize leaders. “The manager needs to be the first to set an example. Power imposes itself by the position, but authority is conquered by the” behavior, he reinforces.

For Edison, the coherence between discourse and practice also defines culture. “It is no use saying that safety comes first if the dressing room is degraded or the cafeteria is unhealthy.

Of obligation to culture

Despite the challenges, the three experts are unanimous: there is progress.“There are already companies with a well-established safety culture. They started years ago with simple actions, and they persisted”, says Edison.For Brasilio, Green April can help accelerate this process.

Brasilio also warns of the evolution of legislation, which now includes topics such as harassment, psychosocial risks and mental health.“ Mental illnesses will surpass physical ones in the coming years, according to the World Health Organization, and the work environment needs to keep up with this reality.”

In addition, Brasilio and Edison argue that the care of the worker must go beyond the company gates. “Actional worker who knows he is safe, works better; but also needs to go home well, be with the family. This is also culture”, says Edison. Brasilio adds: “Safety is reflected in the home.The employee who wears glasses to pierce the factory wall should not climb on an unstable chair to do the same at home”.

In the end, change does not depend only on standards or training, but on a key change in the way you see work.“S Taking work safety seriously is what you do when no one is looking at you”, says Marcelo.This is the level of maturity that Brazilian industry still seeks and that begins with small attitudes, repeated every day, until they see culture.