People Powering Innovation: Creating New Possibilities Through Innovation 

At Weitz, innovation starts with people who challenge the way things have always been done and look for better ways to solve problems. For Greg Charlesworth, EPI Power Project Manager, innovation is more than improving a process; it’s about finding solutions that make work safer, smarter, and more efficient. 

Greg believes safety and efficiency are closely connected. When teams push to improve one, the other often follows. By looking beyond traditional methods and exploring new approaches, Greg and his team are finding ways to reduce risk while improving how work gets done. 

“Safety and efficiency are often tied together. When you push for one, the other naturally follows. The best solutions are the ones that eliminate risk while also making the work more effective.” 

Looking Beyond the Traditional Approach 

One example of this mindset comes from a simple task: drilling holes in steel. 

When using a drill press, the process creates flying metal shavings, requiring safety measures like machine guards and face shields. While these controls provide protection, Greg recognized that they also came with challenges. Guards require adjustments, do not always work as intended, and can sometimes become something employees use because they must, not because they truly believe it provides the best protection. 

Instead of accepting the process, Greg and his team looked for a better solution. 

A piece of material could require 15 holes, and with each hole taking approximately two minutes to drill, completing the work across 96 pieces meant nearly six days of repetitive work at a machine with potential safety risks. 

The team began asking a simple question: Is there a better way? 

Eliminating Risk Through Innovation 

The answer was an ironworker steel punch; a solution that improved efficiency while eliminating several safety concerns. 

Unlike the drill press, the steel punch did not create the same flying debris, kept employees’ hands away from the point of operation, and allowed the machine to be activated using a foot pedal. The result was a major improvement: what previously took six days of work was reduced to approximately six hours. 

That saved 42 hours of labor while also reducing the amount of time employees spent performing a repetitive task on a higher-risk piece of equipment. 

By finding a new approach, the team was able to remove the drill press from the floor entirely, eliminating the hazard rather than simply trying to control it. 

Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement 

For Greg, innovation is not always about finding the newest technology or equipment. It is about evaluating processes, learning from experience, and working together to find solutions that create meaningful improvements. 

Many of these ideas come from collaboration across the team. Employees bring different backgrounds and perspectives, and conversations often start with sharing what has worked well on past projects and how those lessons can be applied moving forward. 

Greg also recognizes that innovation can look different depending on the work environment. While jobsites face constantly changing risks, shop environments provide more opportunities to plan and implement solutions that eliminate hazards through process improvements and engineering controls. 

By continuing to question existing processes and searching for better ways to work, Greg is helping build a culture where safety and efficiency go hand in hand, creating better outcomes for employees, teams, and projects.