Don’t take chances – Zartman hosts annual safety training
NORTHUMBERLAND, Pa. — Zartman Construction hosted their annual employee safety training on Friday. The theme of this year’s training was “Don’t Take Chances.” This annual training is part of a behavioral based safety culture that is enriched through this event.
President David Zartman opened up the day by talking about one of the goals of the company’s safety program: to “have everyone go home at night in the same condition they arrived in that morning.” Zartman went on to speak about the successes of the past year and the outlook for 2020.
Jerry Wolfe, Safety and Risk Management Director spoke about the day’s theme and about the company’s overall safety rating for 2019. Wolfe also discussed the new ANSI 92 changes and stated that Zartman is prepared for the changes.
The first presentation of the day was given by Craig Shaffer, who discussed acceptable risk and safety in the construction field.
Kevin Miller then talked about DOT compliance, specifically involving commercial vehicles. The day finished with a defensive driving presentation by Paul Nanney.
Harnesses and fall protection gear was inspected by all field employees.
Zartman also presented the Safe Supervisor award and Nailed It recognition awards.
Ben Maurer and Zach Boyer were awarded the “Safe Supervisor of the Year” for 2019, it is the first tie in the program’s almost 25 year history. Dave Harmon was the third place winner.
The idea got its inception at the company Christmas party in 1995, when the management team was searching for ways to increase supervisor acceptance and participation in the safety program. For the first several years the only criteria used was the percentage of weekly toolbox talks and jobsite inspections completed. Ten criteria were then developed along with a complexity factor in 2000. The complexity factor weighs the number of employees under their supervision and the complexity of the projects they supervised throughout the year. In 2005 the 11th criteria awarding point to supervisors for violation free safety inspections was added. In 2010 the 12th criteria awarding points for a supervisor who underwent an OSHA inspection with no citations was added to the program.
Each quarter team members can nominate another worker for the “Nailed It” awards, recognizing that person for their demonstration of Zartman company values. Safety first, customer focus, integrity, taking responsibility, dependable & reliable, friends & family and passion are the Zartman company values that we hope that each member of our team demonstrates.
For the final quarter of 2019 James Aucker, Clair Brubaker and Daria Dressler received the awards.
Aucker was nominated for going the “extra mile” over the holiday season. Brubaker was nominated because he “takes pride in his work and stands up for himself and others” plus he is “not afraid to let someone know if they are being unsafe.” Dressler was nominated for being “dependable and reliable” and being passionate about her job plus “tackling new project with determination and resourcefulness.”
