August 2025 Volume 7

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

POWERING A SAFER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE American Axle & Manufacturing Case Study Visual Literacy for a High-Risk Industry

C OVE: Center of Visual Expertise has partnered with evolving “people-first,” behavior-based safety program. Being able to identify and describe what we see, assessing what it means – the potential severity and frequency of risk -- and what we do as a result, is crucial in the dynamic and fast-paced environment of vehicle and components manufacturing. Research indicates we may see as little as 10 percent of what we look at; the remaining 90 percent is based on our past experiences, our expectations, and our biases. Missing up to 90 percent of the potential hazards in a complex vehicle manufacturing environment can cause trips and falls, scrapes and strains, and serious injuries and fatalities. Seeing the Whole PICTURE® is an essential skill when working on the assembly line, with robotics, in spray painting, metal fabricating, or any other area inside a vast vehicle manufacturing facility. AAM and COVE History AAM’s introduction to Visual Literacy began in 2018 when their Director of Global Environmental, Health, and Safety attended the COVE exhibit at the National Safety Council’s Congress & Expo and connected with Doug Pontsler, Chairman and Managing Director of COVE. Impressed by the credibility of the case studies and the relevance of COVE’s tools to manufacturing, AAM encouraged further engagement with Visual Literacy. Jay Zemmol, Regional EHS Manager for AAM, was one of the first from AAM to attend COVE’s Foundations of Visual Literacy workshop. After his initial training, Zemmol and his team began incorporating Visual Literacy into AAM’s safety program. They worked long hours to ensure Visual Literacy did not become the next “flavor of the month” training program. Zemmol felt employees tend to shut down fast if training is introduced as “here’s one more thing to do.” American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM), based in Detroit, Michigan, to integrate Visual Literacy training into AAM’s

Integrating Visual Literacy “The first thing our AAM Associates realized was how little they actually see, across the board,” said Zemmol. “Visual Literacy gave our people an ‘aha’ moment.” AAM Associates immediately saw how Visual Literacy could be applied to job safety analyses, formal audits and weekly safety walks. Zemmol agrees that the training works and ”has definitely changed the way we see things on the shop floor.” Visual Literacy is not “formulaic or mechanistic training.” It is “people-centered and helps you recognize your biases, your blind spots, and opens the door to more awareness.” AAM has introduced Visual Literacy across its organization as part of its hazard hunts. Hundreds of AAM Associates were trained to use Visual Literacy tools and AAM measured the number of hazards identified and how quickly they were addressed. “Train your trainers in Visual Literacy, hold workshops, and integrate these tools into what you are already doing,” said Zemmol. This approach allows for Visual Literacy to become part of a natural evolution of activities you’ve been doing. Outcomes to Date 1. Since implementing Visual Literacy training, AAM has seen significant improvements in: • Hazard recognition • Behavior-based observations • Job safety analyses 2. Today, AAM continues to train Associates in Visual Literacy training principles in a two-hour interactive and activity based workshop that focuses on Seeing the Whole PICTURE® and creating awareness of the Elements of Art – color, lines, shapes, space and texture – to improve seeing, describing and interpreting hazards.

Visual Literacy At Work On The Shop Floor “We have hundreds of Associates and EHS professionals that participated in a weekly safety walk. As part of the initial roll out of Visual Literacy, we asked

questions during the safety walks such as: • Are there any trip hazards in the area?

• What element of art did you use to find the hazard – lines, shapes, colors? This reinforces the learning and makes Associates accustomed to a new type of mindset and a new language.”

Jay Zemmol, Regional EHS Manager - AAM

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2025 38