Safety Day

Safety Safety Day Day 2018 2018

Safety Day was held at the Charlotte Harbor Conference Center in Punta Gorda on January 6, 2018, with approximately 450 employees and guest speakers in attendance. Ajax Michigan was represented by CEO Jamie Jacob, CFO Jim Friel and Safety Director Joe Landino. Bob Heuer from Guy Hurley, LLC also came for this special annual event.

Guest speakers included Attorney Phillip Russell, Ogletree, Deakins Law Firm for the morning session and Attorney Karen Ferguson from Bennett, Jacobs & Adams, Anthony Huey from Communicate Clearly, Scott and Jenna Richardson from Compass Drug Screening for the afternoon sessions. President’s Briefing Mike Horan opened the morning session stating that Safety Day goes back to the 1990’s, and we currently have three leaders in the Safety Department; Safety Director Mandy Kustra and Safety Managers Eric Green and Bob Kern. Bob Kern came on board in September 2017. Mike announced the topics to be covered for the day which included Work Zone Safety, new OSHA Silica Standards, Ajax Cell Phone Policy, and Total Process Reliability (TPR). Mike hoped all the employees enjoyed their bonuses due to Ajax’s smart estimating team, and the dedicated and hard working employees who helped make Ajax very successful. He also announced the project awards and remarked that Ajax is the second largest asphalt producer in Florida. In addition, we now have ten paving crews and a truck fleet that is second to none. As always, Ajax’s goal is zero injuries, zero accidents, and zero driving infractions, and it is up to the dedication and efforts of each employee to help us reach that goal! Safety Leaders

Safety Director Mandy Kustra addressed the new OSHA Silica Standard, and gave a review of our annual injuries and claims. Safety Manager Eric Green reviewed the Internal Traffic Control Plan, daily huddles, and also refreshed everyone’s memory on Ajax’s Cell Phone Policy. Safety Manager Bob Kern introduced the Safety Committee members, followed by a humorous and enlightening housekeeping video produced by the Safety Team featuring Austin Wright, Garland Hopkins, Todd Johnson, Chris Cook, Manuel Valle, Chip Gaines and Donnie Britch. The video focused on keeping equipment clean. Bob also reviewed the new process for becoming a member of the Safety Committee by completing an application. They are looking for inspired thinkers to present their big ideas to enhance Ajax’s Safety Program and help take it to the next level. Human Resource HR Manager Sandy Philipps reviewed ASR health benefits, First Stop Health Telemedicine, new health risk assessment process, and 401K opportunities available to employees. She also mentioned the TPR Communication Team will be emailing flyers to keep Ajax employees informed of future TPR events and news. Asphalt Plants Thanks to Regional Asphalt Plant Manager Mickey Cox, Ajax employees viewed a very professional and informative video narrating the “Mystery Behind Asphalt Plants and What Happens at the Plants Each Day.”

Guest Speaker Attorney Phillip Russell’s topic was “What to do when an OSHA representative shows up at the job site.” Some of his advice included introduce yourself, get management, find out if they have the authority to show up on the job site. He also stated that OSHA’s hot topics for 2018 were silica, trenching and ITCP. Phillip reminded the employees that it is their responsibility to bring safety issues to their foreman or manager’s attention. It’s the little things. If you see something unsafe, report it. Raffles and Prizes Before the morning session ended, Mike Horan drew raffle tickets and the employees read one of the ‘Ten Rules of the Road’ after which they each received $200. This served as a reminder that Ajax employees should learn and apply the rules in their daily lives to stay safe. Some winners of the $200 were Michael Eaton, Jasen Starks, Leroy Vickers, Matt Desotell, Tommie Harris, Roberto Rodriguez, and Desmin Belvin. Once again Mike drew raffle tickets and the employees played Ajax’s cornhole game - no rules. Leonard Lowe had the first opportunity with no luck. But Mark Slomski won a cash prize when he walked right next to the cornhole board and dropped it in remember - no rules. Next employees came up to the platform to estimate the cost of injuries according to ACIG. Dave Reid estimated the cost of a router cuff injury, Tim Gearheart - cost of back injury, and Kurt Truran - cost of knee injury.

1. Be safety minded each day and remember to take 5 minutes at the start of each day and assess any potential safety concerns. 2. Always follow safety rules and procedures; especially 3 points of contact when climbing on equipment.

Use legs to lift and ask for help when needed. 3. Always use the personal protective equipment assigned to you. 4. Remember the 10’ rule of acknowledgement when approaching trucks or equipment. 5. Remember to always do the 360° walk around before starting equipment. 6. Remember to look twice before moving equipment or trucks from stop position.

Prevent any backing accidents by being alert and aware. 7. Understand today’s Internal Traffic

Control Plan (ITCP). 8. No personal cell phones on the job site.

Cell phone use prohibited by truck drivers or while operating equipment in the work zone. 9. Always use a spotter when alone and away from crew and equipment. 10. Be highly visible and be in the right place. Stay within your assigned operations and lighted area if working at night.

Afternoon Session The afternoon sessions were held for the managers, superintendents, paving foremen, plant personnel, mechanics, and truck drivers. Topics included ‘Crisis Management’ by Anthony Huey, and Attorney Karen Ferguson covered ‘Workers Compensation - Do’s and Don’ts,’ followed by ‘Reasonable Suspicion.’ The CDL drivers learned about tire maintenance, annual DOT documents, electronic logs for the ‘Keep Trucking’ app and, finally, expectations on pre-trip/post-trip.

This annual event was a very informative, thought provoking, and a highly successful day. As always, “Stay Safe!"

By Mandy Kustra Safety Director