• David L Parker, Samuel Yamin, Min Xi, Robert Gordon, Ivan Most, and Rod Stanley.
• HealthPartners Institute, Bloomington, Minnesota (Dr Parker, Mr Yamin, Dr Xi, Mr Gordon); School of Public Health, University of New England (Dr Most); Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company, Loss Control Division (Mr Stanley), Portland, Maine.
• J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2017 Dec 1; 59 (12): 1172-1179.

ObjectivesThis manuscript assesses safety climate data from the National Machine Guarding Program (NMGP)-a nationwide intervention to improve machine safety.MethodsBaseline safety climate surveys were completed by 2161 employees and 341 owners or managers at 115 businesses. A separate onsite audit of safety management practices and machine guarding equipment was conducted at each business.ResultsSafety climate measures were not correlated with machine guarding or safety management practices. The presence of a safety committee was correlated with higher scores on the safety management audit when contrasted with those without one.ConclusionsThe presence of a safety committee is easily assessed and provides a basis on which to make recommendations with regard to how it functions. Measures of safety climate fail to provide actionable information. Future research on small manufacturing firms should emphasize the presence of an employee-management safety committee.

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