Last month, the Fibre Box Association (FBA) hosted a webinar where the 2025 Innovation in Safety Achievement Award recipients shared the challenges they faced, the solutions they developed, and the measurable results they achieved.
In one of the weekly spotlight sessions following the webinar, FBA connected with safety award recipient Menasha Packaging, a Neenah, Wisconsin based custom corrugated and display provider. At Menasha’s Madera, California, facility, an engineering solution significantly reduced the risk of serious injuries in the corrugator roll area of the operation.
Carlos Munoz, EHS Manager at Menasha Packaging, presented the company’s award-winning project, which focused on improving safety around the corrugator roll stand. The area requires multiple team members to work in close proximity while loading and adjusting rolls, creating the potential for one employee to activate the roll arms while another remains in the hazard zone.
According to Munoz, employees may need to enter the area for several reasons, including aligning rolls with the chucks or addressing issues with the core. Industry incidents have demonstrated the potential for serious struck-by and pinch point injuries when one person is making adjustments while another activates the arm.
“Communication and administrative controls were not enough to consistently prevent exposure,” Munoz explained. “We needed a solution that removed the opportunity for unintended movement altogether.”
To address the hazard, Menasha installed pressure-sensitive safety mats throughout the roll stand area. The mats automatically disable roll arm movement whenever someone is standing within the designated work zone, preventing the equipment from operating until the area has been cleared.
Rather than relying solely on employees to communicate or remain aware of one another’s positions, the system establishes an engineering control that makes safe operation the default condition.
The improvement has eliminated unintended roll arm movement while employees are working in the hazard zone, significantly reducing the risk of struck-by and pinch point injuries. Munoz said the system also provides a consistent layer of protection during both routine operation and maintenance activities by preventing equipment movement anytime a person is on the safety mats.
Munoz discussed what prompted the company to move beyond administrative controls and pursue an engineered solution, explaining that risk assessment discussions, along with training on human and organizational performance principles, reinforced the understanding that even experienced employees can become distracted or make mistakes.
“Employees are going to make mistakes,” Munoz said. “Whether they become distracted or are having an off day, building safer processes limits those opportunities. The old methods relied heavily on employee awareness. Engineering controls make the safer process the default process.”
FBA noted that sharing practical safety solutions across the industry helps manufacturers strengthen their own operations by learning from proven innovations. Additional information about the Innovation in Safety Achievement Awards program, including past recipients and winning projects, can be found at www.fibrebox.org.
