(Productivity Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- The Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance defines safety as “the maintenance of peace of mind.” Without peace of mind, or the serenity brought about by a safe working environment, employees will be unwilling and even unable to focus their energies on production improvement. Thus, it can be said that all improvement begins with safety.

A how-to manual on the proper integration of safety and environmental sustainability with lean implementations, Lean Sustainability: Creating Safe, Enduring, and Profitable Operations, by Dennis Averill (Productivity Press, 2011), provides a proven recipe for achieving safety and sustainability excellence. This book is the result of the author’s two decades of experience implementing processes in lean; safety, health, and environment (SHE); and sustainability in the chemical, food, and consumer products industries.

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