Safety Man: helping Daka in fight against accidents

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan 11, 1993 by Robin Lee Allen

DANVERS, Mass. -- David G. Parker is a mild-mannered senior vice president of administration and purchasing for Daka International Inc. -- until he unleashes his superhero alter ego and becomes Safety Man.

The transformation, which takes place as a quasi-striptease before employee audiences, leaves a formerly suited Parker in an S-emblazoned blue shirt and tights. He then throws on a red cape, mirrored sunglasses and a blue cap and sprinkles "safety dust" around the property to prevent future accidents.

"He starts with a serious talk and, at some point, he starts to take his clothes off, and here are 150 associates about to pass out as a corporate vice president takes his clothes off," said Howard McCullough, director of dining at contract feeder Daka Inc.'s Ithaca College account in Ithaca, N.Y., where Parker has performed twice.

Parker admits that the skit remains embarrassing for him, even after 20 appearances in the past two years, but he risks the humiliation to make the point that safety is Daka's No. 1 priority.

"When I donned that first costume that first time, I was sort of scared," he said. "I thought, 'Shucks, here I am making a of fool of myself.' But the reaction was very favorable. They liked it, and after that initial presentation, I was demanded to appear elsewhere. But the anxiety doesn't go away."

Anxious or not, the performance has gotten results. The number of accident claims filed by employees at the company's 136-unit Fuddruckers Inc. gourmet hamburger chain and Daka Inc. subsidiaries has dropped 33 percent in the past two years, company officials said. And fewer accident claims mean fewer dollars spent on insurance.

"Health insurance and worker's compensation are the two major components of insurance that impact every business, and anything that reduces those leads to significant saving," explained William H. Baumhauer, Daka International's chairman.

"No one thought we could do it, but something happened," Parker said of the reduced claims. "A spark ignited and ran through the corporation, and associates did what had to be done."

Parker is that spark, according to colleagues.

"I believe the reason he's so effective is that it's a visual shock to people, and they remember it," McCullough explained. The number of accidents at Ithaca's dining facilities has dropped about 20 percent in two years, he said.

"It's quite inspiring," said Butch Cooper, district manager for Fuddruckers in Northern California. "I think it's a positive force to take an icon such as Safety Man and attach fun to a very serious topic such as safety."

Safety Man's appearance at the Fuddruckers that Cooper previously managed helped to boost the unit's number of accident-free days from 36 to 360 per year, he said.

"Focusing on something has impact," Baumhauer said. "I know he has bought into this program in a big way. People were motivated and took action.

"I admire his guts and his conviction," he continued. "It shocks people. They think, 'My God, this is a traditional executive in the company, and he must believe in it."

Parker created the safety crusader after he compared Daka's accident rate to the industry's about two years ago.

"I was dismayed, disappointed and shocked that we were average," he explained. "I am responsible for this function in this corporation, and I think average is deplorable."

Daka officials would not disclose the number of accident claims filed before the safety program began or now. But Parker did note that about two-thirds of the claims are the result of slips and falls, lifting or cuts.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 7.4 recordable injuries per 100 fulltime workers in 1991 at eating and drinking places, resulting in 53.6 lost workdays.

"I wanted to tell our people how alarming the safety statistics were and that we needed to do something about it," Parker said. "I thought that if we looked at the problem with a little bit of humor perhaps the seriousness of the situation could be tolerated."

So Safety Man was born. "That costume represents to me a collage of heroes," Parker said. "The glasses are a policeman's, the S is Superman and the safety dust is from Tinkerbell, which is Peter Pan."

Safety Man is just one aspect of a Daka's safety program, however. Parker also created a quarterly Top 20 list of the company's worst safety violators.

"They got a certified letter from me, strongly suggesting that it was in their best interest not to appear on the Top 20 list in the next quarter," Parker said. "It was very effective."

He also started a $50,000 pool to be divided among employees at units that achieved their safety objectives and incorporated safety into Daka's employee training program.

"We are now educating new hires with the idea that they will operate safely in our branches," he said. "We have safety standards, and if you don't observe those safety standards, it will result in termination. We tell them our expectations."

His goals achieved, Parker is relinquishing his Safety Man duties.