IPEX – Life Critical Rules

Character-driven animated safety video featuring Zach the Safety Rhino introducing IPEX life-critical safety rules. Covers LOTO procedures, working at heights, machine intervention protocols, and hazard recognition in an engaging, memorable format that replaces traditional slide-based training.

This animated safety video for IPEX showcases the company’s Life Critical Rules through character-driven storytelling featuring Zach the Safety Rhino. The video demonstrates proper LOTO procedures, working at heights protocols, and machine intervention safety in an engaging format that improves employee retention and compliance rates.

Project Overview

Challenge

IPEX is a leading provider of thermoplastic piping systems with manufacturing plants across multiple locations. They needed comprehensive safety training content that would engage plant employees while covering critical protocols: energy isolation, fall prevention, mobile operations, and machine intervention. The challenge was creating training that employees would actually watch and remember, not just check off as “completed.”

Solution

We created Zach the Safety Rhino as a relatable character host who guides employees through IPEX’s Life Critical Rules. The mixed-format approach combines 2D character animation with live-action industrial photography and footage. This creates realistic workplace scenarios that employees recognize without putting anyone at risk during production. Employees see their actual work environments paired with an engaging animated guide they remember.

Results

The video has been deployed across multiple IPEX manufacturing facilities as part of their Zero Accident Culture initiative (which conveniently uses the acronym “ZACH”). The character-based approach improved training engagement scores significantly. More importantly, it provides consistent safety messaging across all locations, regardless of shift times or individual instructor quality.

Key Features

• Character-driven narrative with Zach the Safety Rhino as a memorable mascot employees connect with
• Comprehensive LOTO (Lockout-Tagout) procedures covering all 6 energy types: mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, electrical, and chemical
• Working at heights safety protocols: proper harness use, guardrail requirements, fall protection systems, and tool securing methods
• Mobile and lifting operations safety: forklift procedures, pre-shift inspection requirements, load capacity limits, and avoiding suspended load hazards
• Machine intervention protocols: proper use of safety guards, safety controls, and protective barriers
• Mixed format production combining 2D animation with realistic industrial environment footage

Technical Details

Why Character-Driven Safety Training Works

This animated safety video demonstrates how character-based storytelling creates stronger memory retention compared to traditional instructor-led training or text-based materials. Zach the Safety Rhino serves as a consistent, recognizable safety ambassador that employees remember and actually want to learn from.

Traditional safety videos fail because they’re boring. When employees zone out during training, they don’t retain the information that could save their lives. The mixed-format approach solves this by combining animated characters with real industrial environments. IPEX can demonstrate dangerous scenarios like fall hazards, energy isolation failures, or equipment accidents safely. No one gets hurt filming these scenarios because the dangerous moments are animated.

The genius of naming the character “ZACH” ties directly into IPEX’s Zero Accident Culture initiative. Every time employees see or hear about ZACH, they’re reminded of both the character and the safety culture. This creates a memorable brand connection that reinforces safety protocols organization-wide. It’s the kind of thing employees actually talk about and remember months later.

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