| Safety is No Accident
for the Southwest's Safest Contractors
By
Kelly Wendel
Southwest Contractor magazine salutes the "Southwest's
Safest Contractors" for their committment to safety and the construction
industry. The title was based on the firm's experience modification ratio pulled
from our recent survey
J.B Henderson Construction Company
At
Albuquerque's J.B. Henderson Construction Co., it's not just the boss who is concerned
about safety.
"The safety culture at J.B. Henderson is very strong
and not just because management demands it," said Kerry Soileau, Henderson's
environmental health and safety director. "Employees from the lowest level
to the highest level believe in it."
That dedication to safety is
why Southwest Contractor magazine is proud to name J.B. Henderson Construction
"Safest in the Southwest." The award is based on the mechanical contractor's
experience modification ratio of .62. Yearout Mechanical, also of Albuquerque
posted a .7 e mod and McDade Woodcock came in third with a .78.
The safey
culture pervades J.B. Henderson from Monday morning until pay checks arrive on
Friday. On Mondays, project managers conduct a mass safety meeting at construction
sites and every morning, workers take a stretch to limber up muscles and lessen
strains.
When employees pick up their pay stubs, a "Tool Box Topic"
on safety is included.
Throughout the year, training is held and the firm's
successes - and failures are recapped during a company-wide annual meeting.
"We
don't strive to have just one accident, we strive to have no accidents,"
said Henderson's business development director Maria Guy. "Everyone understands
how important that is." For the team at
M & H Building Specialties, safety, like perfection, is in the details.
"No
one gets on a site without workbooks, safety glasses and of course, a hard hat,"
said M & H's general superintendent Ken Lancaster. "Everything is about
the details."
The firm's dedication to the details of safety is why
Southwest Contractor magazine is pleased to name M & H Building Specialties
"Safest in the Southwest."
The firm's .57 rate beat out Southland
Industries with a .63 and Isaac Construction Co. Inc. with a .64
The company,
which specializes in framing and sheet rocking, has more than 300 employees in
the field. Foreman and superintendents are the key to the company's low experience
modification rate.
"Our foreman and superintendents on the job are
pushing the safety, but out here, everybody cares about safety."
Workers
at construction sites that have no incidents are rewarded with scratch-off cards
similar to lotto games. Employees have a chance to win prizes and cash worth up
to $100.
"We try to make safety a team effort," Lancaster said.
It's all about communication and commitment at Phoenix's Kinetic
Systems.
Combined with the experienced employees and a dedicated
management team, the firm's dedication to safety is one reason Southwest Contractor
names Kinetics "Safest in the Southwest."
The firm posted an
experience ratio of .55 and was closely trailed by IMCOR at .56 and Markham Contracting
Co., Inc. at .6.
"We instilled the craftworkers with the commitment
that management's commitment was real," said Roger Gaske, Kinetic's business
development manager. "We were able to achieve that by simply having the vice
president, the general manager, the operations manager and even the president
show up for job walks."
The firm has been recognized several times
by large microchip manufacturers for their dedication to safety.
A safety
leadership team meets once a month to discuss goals and issues, with foremen,
supervisors and project managers sitting down to discuss the issue.
Gaske
said the semiconductor industry was a prime mover for companies to improve their
safety ratings because of the types of gases used in manufacturing chips and the
need to avoid unplanned shutdowns.
"A little more than 10 years ago,
experience modification ratios were through the roof," he said. "That's
just not acceptable in this day and age."
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