Lee Wendel, Director of Loss Prevention at SFM, was recently recognized by HOM Furniture, a regional retailer with locations in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The company presented Wendel with its Service Representative of the Year award.

Wendel said he was surprised with the honor. But company officials outlined the efforts that led to the award, including:

• Completing site visits for about half of HOM Furniture locations
• Discussing common issues and solutions with district managers and facilities personnel
• Working with the HOM warehouse team to file and receive a Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety grant for ergonomics improvements by leveraging video artificial intelligence (AI) analysis
• Demonstrating and educating HOM leadership about technology in safety, such as virtual reality training, ergonomic position trackers and other AI solutions

“The leadership at HOM Furniture is truly committed to safety,” Wendel said. “They set goals and strive to make improvements. It’s a partnership between SFM, HOM safety officials and their agency partner.”

With a mixture of retail, warehouse and delivery services, HOM has several areas to monitor regarding safety. Company leaders take extra steps to ensure the safety of their employees, Wendel said, including having leaders talk with injured workers about what happened, helping them identify root causes and develop solutions.

“That’s one of the most effective things that they do,” Wendel said.

Notably, HOM Furniture’s safety efforts have halved both claims costs and workplace injuries over the past couple of years. The company has taken advantage of SFM’s safety resources and been proactive in developing safe workplaces and behaviors, Wendel said.

“I appreciated most that they said they feel as though I’m part of their team,” he said. “And that’s really my goal — to be someone they can rely on and to bring an outside perspective.”

Wendel leads SFM’s loss prevention team in developing best practices, resources and strategies. He has more than 30 years of experience in the field and has worked with hundreds of individuals to help support a safe work environment, including promoting safety culture in a wide range of businesses, schools and medical facilities. Additionally, he maintains relationships with vendors that support activities to help keep workers safe.

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