Matt Hare originally studied to become a firefighter before taking a job at Hit Promotional Products — a training he believes has greatly aided him in his role as Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety.

On this episode of the No Accident podcast presented by TRUCE, Matt breaks down the value and necessity of safety in the workplace for both employees and the company’s profitability. 

“People honestly want to see a vendor that is protecting their workforce, providing a clean and safe environment for their people and so on and so forth,” May says. “It is a true sales advantage for us because we dedicate a lot of time and resources to making sure our employees are happy at work and that they go home to their families the same way they come in.”  

According to Matt, safety is an invaluable asset, proving a company’s competency and ability to push out a good product while protecting its own employees. Instilling top-notch safety programs can also yield long-term gains for the company in paying lower premiums and workers’ compensation.

“If you can institute programs that are beneficial to your organization,” Matt says, “you have to let those programs really develop into something and work out the kinks before you get a long run of success.”

In addition to ensuring the safety of Hit’s employees, Matt also discusses the importance of seeing the total business of Hit - not just the safety aspect. 

“I was actually sitting with my dad one night and he was like, ‘It's great to have all these safety degrees, but if you don't know and understand how the business is going to operate, you really don't know how you're going to impact it,’” Matt says.

So, he got a business degree to better understand how certain components of the business, like returns and investments, can impact the company overall. 

With Hit ranked among the top 5 commercial printing suppliers in the nation and creating items for so many Fortune 500 companies, it is clear that safety and sustainability are keys to success. 

Featured Guest

👉 Name: Matt Hare

👉 What he does: As Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety at Hit Promotional Products, Matt handles all of the company’s domestic facilities’ response to OSHA, EPA and local, state and federal governing bodies, as well as workers’ compensation.

👉 Company: Hit Promotional Products

👉 Key quote: “We need to make sure that we're protecting the most valuable asset and that's not products or machines — it's people. And that entire philosophy changed how we look at things today and how we move our company forward and how we strategize equipment moves, product moves, warehouse moves and acquisitions.”

👉 Where to find him: LinkedIn

Safe Takes

⚠️ Give your safety plan time to develop. Depending on the organization’s size and/or its  industry, safety programs can take a few years before they start yielding results and monetary gain.

⚠️ Clients want companies invested in social accountability and their employees’ safety. It is a true sales advantage for a company to protect its workforce and demonstrate a passion for safety. 

⚠️ Look at the company’s big picture. Understanding how the daily operations work on the minute level will not only help a company protect itself and its employees but also reduce risk.

Resources

⛑️ Hit Promotional Products — A leader in the Promotional Products Industry for over 50 years and ranked among the top 5 suppliers in the nation.

⛑️ Sustainability Efforts: Reducing Our Impact — Whether it’s wastewater filtration, reduction in VOC and HAPS or electric usage, check out Hit’s sustainability efforts for ideas and partnerships to pursue. 

⛑️ NuCycle Energy — Sustainable solutions for commercial and industrial businesses to reduce waste and avoid landfills.

⛑️ Green Business Bureau — Find other certified green businesses who have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability. 

Top quotes from the episode:

“If you can institute programs that are beneficial to your organization, whether they're workers' compensation return programs or they’re safety programs focused on making sure employees are not injured at work, you have to let those programs really develop into something and work out the kinks before you get a long run of success.”

“You have to make sure that you keep the [safety] programs in place and that you don't give up on them on year one or two, but allow them to build and develop into themselves between years three, four and possibly five, depending on how big your organization is or what type of industry you're in.”

“For us, in our industry, people like seeing companies that are dedicated to social accountability and safety being part of that category. So for us, it was, ‘Let's go after getting all these social compliance audits out of the way and showing people that we can pass them with flying colors.’ And that brought in more business. Then we were able to go after and get the Disney, get the Nestle, the Pepsi's and the Coke's as customers for us.”

“All of our manufacturing waste and waste developed throughout any of our facilities is now sent to what’s called a clean cycle creator. And what they do is they take our waste; they shred it all up and then they make what's called fuel cubes. And it is being used across the U.S. as a clean burning alternative to fossil fuels.”

“When I started health and safety, it was my way or the highway. [Now] it’s, ‘Alright, how do we protect our employees by getting to the end goal, which is manufacturing a good or moving a pallet from point A to point B?’ So I think understanding how the company works in total will help you protect it, will help you reduce any type of risk, and then, essentially, remove it as you grow into your knowledge.”

“We need to make sure that we're protecting the most valuable asset and that's not products or machines — it's people. And that entire philosophy changed how we look at things today and how we move our company forward and how we strategize equipment moves, product moves, warehouse moves, and acquisitions.”

“People honestly want to see a vendor that is protecting their workforce, providing a clean and safe environment for their people. It is a true sales advantage for us because we dedicate a lot of time and resources to making sure our employees are happy at work and that they go home to their families the same way they come in.” 

“I was actually sitting with my dad one night and he was like, ‘It's great to have all these safety degrees, but if you don't know and understand how the business is going to operate, you really don't know how you're going to impact it.’ And so I picked up a business degree just to help me understand what our ownership is looking at. It's one thing to know what safety is going on, but if you don't understand P and L's and returns and investments...you really don't know how you're going to impact it.”