Excellence in safety doesn’t just happen. It takes practice and leadership.
At Egan Company, our teams strive to promote safe and healthy working environments and to maintain safe practices at all times. Our safety program is not static—it continually evolves and improves to meet our own standards and those of our customers.
Two consecutive years without an OSHA recordable injury is a milestone we celebrate, and there’s one group at Egan Company that achieved zero injuries in 2018 and 2019– the Industrial Controls team.
A business offering within Egan, the Industrial Controls business unit provides electrical installations, system integration, PLC/HMI programming, engineering, custom-built control panels, and a variety of other specialty controls services.
Last year, this group delivered 135,332 combined hours in the field and in our UL 508A Panel Shop.
KEY CONTRIBUTORS IN SAFETY
When safety is a cultural priority, experience through field practices and leadership become key contributors to reaching success in safety.
Through implemented programs like jobsite audits, safety observations, and safety lunches, a safety mindset is emphasized and it is everyone’s job to make sure these are completed every month.
“The Industrial Controls leadership team has made safety a top priority. We believe the safety team has implemented these important programs to emphasize the importance of safety. It is our job to make sure these are followed through.” said Mike Tengwall, Egan Company Vice President. “Our experienced project managers and field leaders have a good understanding of our jobsites and the hazards associated with the work they are performing. If there are any questions related to safety, we involve the safety team early to help us execute work in a safe manner.”
COMMITMENT SHOWS
Recently, this team was recognized for an Award of Honor by the Minnesota Safety Council. Recipients of this award have incident rates at least 91% better than the industry average and a score between 91 and 100 on the safety program evaluation scale.
Significant growth over the last few years has also added to the need for additional safety measures. As new employees have joined the team, additional space has become necessary, and demand for project output has increased, the continued focus on safety has grown as well.
Specifically, in the panel shop, there’s a continued commitment to executing work in a safe manner, identifying hazards, and communicating on a daily basis through the daily safety plan to keep everyone aware. This, coupled with the weekly tool box talk and daily stretching, sends a powerful message that safety is at the top of the priority list.
“As leaders, we always follow up on safety concerns or near-misses with employees and customers to understand what can be done going forward to eliminate any future risk to people or property,” adds Terry Fredricks, Egan Company Panel Shop Foreman. “In addition, from a tool and process standpoint, continued investments in leading technologies have assisted in achieving our safety goals.
Safety remains the number one priority at Egan Company – across all business units and teams. The leadership team and dedicated safety team empowers and holds every employee accountable to the highest level of safety possible. Thanks to the many advocates across all levels of our Company that promote safety excellence, safety is a long-standing standard and foundation of our culture.
A: “We can help hold each other accountable by constantly looking out for each other, pointing out unsafe actions, and unsafe situations in the workplace or on jobsites. By continuing to hold each other to a high standard of safety, we can achieve our safety goals.” — Sean Moore, Control Panel Technician
A: “Achieving zero injuries allows Egan to be even more competitive in our marketplace. And, overall it would be exciting to reach such a great safety milestone.” — Jon Kroening, Electrical Field Leader
A: “Requiring and enforcing our crews to wear 100% PPE [Personal Protection Equipment] at all times is always first and foremost in maintaining safety. We also follow all OSHA standards, Egan guidelines, and make sure our crew never overextends themselves. We promote using carts, lifts, or whatever is needed to assure the job stays safe.” — Jim Drummond, Plumber Field Leader
A: “Egan’s safety practices, as well as the General Contractor’s, make it easy for us to solve most safety issues. However, if there is ever a situation where a crew member doesn’t feel comfortable, I remind them to walk away and bring it to my attention. We always stress that each person is most responsible for their own safety.” — Tim McKie, Electrical Field Leader
A: “Each morning we talk through safety challenges, and as a team we come up with the best plan to ensure we all stay safe. Egan’s Safety team has also done specific training on our jobs, and we’ve had equipment companies show us how to properly and safely operate their lift equipment. It’s clear that safety is a part of everything we do.” — Mike Kush, InterClad Field Leader
A: “Always be aware of your surroundings and anticipate possible safety challenges before they happen. Working in this industry involves risks to not only ourselves, but also to the public and others around us, so having awareness to recognize these risks is highly important.” — Todd Grandt, ATS Project Manager
Safety is our number one priority. Safety of all employees, jobsites, and offices is what we strive for daily. Our employees continue this commitment every day, which is shown through numerous milestones achieved this past year.
Safety Stats for 2016