2018 Award Recipients
AAA Roofing Company, Inc.
Innovations in Construction (for a Small-sized Company)
Established in 1923, AAA Roofing Company is a self-performing commercial and industrial roofing contractor. The company has not experienced a recordable injury since 2014.
Spouses and children of the company’s employees submitted content for a video answering the following question, “Why do you want your loved one to work safe?” Workers watched the video and many of them confessed to being moved to tears from the thoughtful messages put together by their loved ones.
Gribbins Insulation Company
Innovations in Construction (for a Medium-sized Company)
Gribbins Insulation Company of Evansville, Indiana, is a commercial and industrial mechanical insulation contractor that employs about 250 workers and is certified in the Indiana Voluntary Protection Program.
The company developed and implemented a Safety STAR program to focus on providing recognition to employees who do the right thing with respect to safety. Any employee can nominate a fellow co-worker. Upper management votes to determine which actions each quarter are recognized as Safety STARS. While the program was launched in 2017, some actions awarded included the following:
- an employee who stopped a job when the scope changed and got the safety department involved,
- employees who ceased work tasks when potential asbestos containing material was identified,
- and an employee who stopped another contractor’s employee from working in scissor lift without the safety chain in place.
Quarterly Safety STARS are recognized on the company’s website and Facebook page. Families and friends of have also been positively impacted by seeing their loved ones featured by the company for their safety efforts.
Gaylor Electric, Inc.
Innovations in Construction (for a Large-sized Company)
Gaylor Electric, Inc., of Indianapolis, Indiana employs more than 1,100 employees that offer complete design-build electrical services.
Gaylor Electric, Inc., developed and held safety summits in each of the major geographical regions where the company performs work. The safety summit was mandatory for all company employees and consisted of two full days of educational and training sessions. The safety summit was credited as having an invigorating effect on the company’s annual safety training program.
Whitesville Mill Service
Innovations in General Industry (for a Small-sized Company)
Whitesville Mill Service employs approximately 40 employees who remove slag generated by the process of making steel. The slag is recycled and processed into a product to be consumed in the same way that natural aggregate is used.
In the last five years, the company experienced only one OSHA-recordable injury. To best ensure workers who use mobile equipment remained safe, the company implemented the use of backpacks for operators. This initiative was implemented after conducting focused observations on mobile equipment operators. The use of the backpacks permits the equipment operator to transmit his or her paperwork and other miscellaneous items while maintaining three-points of contact.
Cerro Wire, LLC
Innovations in General Industry (for a Medium-sized Company)
Located in Crothersville, Indiana, Cerro Wire, LLC, manufactures copper electrical wire products for electrical distributors and retail home centers. The company employs more than 100 workers. Cerro Wire, LLC, supplies both residential wire for interior electrical wiring in homes and building wire for commercial and industrial buildings. The company is also certified in the Indiana Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (INSHARP).
Cerro Wire established a Google account to create an electronic safety recognition form. The form was designed as a questionnaire to be completed during audits, for employees to submit safety suggestions, and submit near-miss incidents.
Employee participation in the voluntary portion of the form has increased 20 percent since implementation. The Google form also allows for information among the company’s other locations to flow more smoothly.
National Office Furniture
Innovations in General Industry (for a Large-sized Company)
Located in Jasper, Indiana, National Office Furniture manufactures high-quality office furnishings. The company has been in business since 1980. Both of the company’s Indiana locations are certified in the state’s Voluntary Protection Program.
National Office Furniture has a unique program designed to eliminate injuries called, “Early Intervention.” The “Early Intervention” program encourages employees to report any signs or symptoms related to repetitive motion early. In 2017, 165 employees participated in the program. As a result, there were no repetitive motion injuries reported.
Steinberger Construction
Education & Outreach - Internal
Founded in Logansport, Indiana in 1945, Steinberger Construction employs 65 workers. The company provides its clients with design and construction services.
Many of the company’s experienced workers are retiring or moving up within the organization. This means that less experienced employees are being hired into these positions. The company’s training team developed an on-the-job training program aimed at providing new employees with the skills needed to do the various jobs. The safety committee suggested including safety training into these on-the-job training situations. In 2017, over 4,000 hours of this training was documented and as a result, close-call incidents involving less experienced staff have decreased.
Shiel Sexton Company
Education & Outreach - External
Shiel Sexton Company is a construction and professional services company with more than 55 years of experience providing general contracting and construction management services. Shiel Sexton employs more than 350 employees.
The safety professionals at Shiel Sexton offer all subcontractors an opportunity to participate in safety training courses. In 2017, the company’s safety professionals instructed 142 classes which covered more than 25 topics and more than 2,000 attendees participated. Trainings included CPR, first aid, forklift safety, rigging, silica, workplace violence, and drug and alcohol awareness.
The impact of these trainings are evident at each of the company’s jobsites through Shiel’s safety audits. This helps best ensure a much safer site for ALL workers.
Sustainable Sourcing, LLC
Partnerships
Clinton, Indiana-based Sustainable Sourcing, LLC, processes animal fats and oils for use in the pharmaceutical, biodiesel, and animal feed industries. The company currently employs fewer than ten workers.
Early in the newer company’s construction phase, the need to have safety oversight of contractors was recognized. Optimum Safety Management was engaged and a construction safety oversight program was established. Since the completion of the construction, the safety oversight program was transformed into a general industry safety program. The program has been successful. In December 2017, the company celebrated five years without a recordable injury.
West Central Conservancy District
Rising Star in General Industry
Located in Avon, Indiana, West Central Conservancy District approximately 25,000 acres, employs 28 workers and collects and treats about three million gallons of wastewater per day.
The organization enhanced its safety system to improve employee morale and productivity, reduce work-related injuries, model the organization’s core values, save money, and because it simply made good business sense. West Central Conservancy District promotes a "zero incident performance" through better and clearer communications, seeking better and safer ways to work, evaluating safety targets, and compliance with procedures, standards, and regulations. The organization focuses on understanding the causes of incidents and injuries and correcting deficiencies.
Weddle Bros. Construction Companies
Rising Star in Construction
Founded in 1946, Weddle Bros. Construction Company is a general contractor, construction manager, and master builder. The company, which has locations in Bloomington, Evansville, and Indianapolis, is 100 percent employee-owned through the Weddle Bros. Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust.
While incidents were minor in nature, the company believed it owed it to its employees to training and adherence to the safety program. Simply put, the company believed it needed to do better.
The company updated and increased its level of safety awareness and training beginning with the foremen and superintendents – the boots on the ground. The training program includes new hire and new project orientation, safety alerts, weekly safety meetings, daily task hazard analysis, OSHA 10 and 30-hour outreach, first aid, CPR, and AED usage.
Safety performance data is shared with all levels of management. The company has a “Zero Incidents/Zero Injuries” philosophy and believes going home each and every day is a requirement, not an option.
View the recipients of the distinguished Everyday Safety Hero Award by clicking here!