COVER STORY
By Bryan McClure
Getting Engaged
Training GO & Safety TOGETHER Best Practices of World Class Companies
Derr & Gruenewald Construction was one of several SEAA members that held Safety Stand Downs during Fall Prevention Week. Find resources for your own stand-down event at seaa.net/standdown.
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ompanies that invest in training and safety initiatives understand the cost benefits of doing so. Studies show that for every $1 spent on safety, there is a savings of 4 to 6 times that by reducing direct costs associated with incidents. SEAA members who received World Class recognition in the association’s 2022 Craft Training Excellence and Safety Excellence awards programs embrace safety at the highest levels of their organizations. But it is more than a philosophical involvement—these are people who are actively engaged. During a panel discussion with these companies at the 2022 Convention & Trade Show in Charleston, S.C., we heard from one executive who took Bryan McClure is a partner in Trivent Safety Consultants and Chairman of SEAA’s Safety & Education Committee. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2017. Contact him at bryanm@triventsc.com.
it upon himself to re-take rigger training so that he understood what he was asking from his employees. Another saw the need to balance the responsibilities being put on field foremen and instead to support them with full time safety professionals. I encourage SEAA members to take the two hours needed to submit an application for either the Craft Training Excellence or the Safety Excellence award. The information requested should all come from documentation that you already have. The reward for recognition is more than just a trophy. Past winners will tell you it makes a difference in setting you apart from competitors, especially for subcontractors competing on price. Submissions for the 2023 awards are due January 31. Learn more at seaa.net/awards. The following Q&A is excerpted from the panel discussion. These best practices demonstrate that training and safety go hand-in-hand.
26 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
How has your company maintained your safety culture with the challenge of a high turnover rate in the steel erection industry? Ed Valencia: New employees go through evaluation, orientation, and then they are teamed up with other employees who serve as mentors. Jason Kulvinskas: The first introduction to our company is to our safety team. New employees see from the beginning the importance we put on safety. We believe this has reduced turnover—now 60 to 70 percent of our guys have been with us at least five years. What are some strategies your company uses to keep employees engaged in safety? Ed Valencia: We have safety meetings with all employees every day, then we split up into individual team meetings, which encourages them get talking because it’s a smaller group.