CATCHING UP WITH…

Mike Foggie, Safety Director

Hello Team GMA,

Reminder, Construction Safety Week will be held from May 6-10. This annual week-long safety-focused event is designed to promote worker safety and wellness. It's an opportunity for people, companies and the entire industry to join, celebrate and recommit to doing whatever it takes to send everyone home safely every day. This year, Construction Safety Week is partnering with OSHA and its National Safety Stand-down initiative to help prevent falls in construction - which is the leading cause of injury to workers. This joint effort encourages companies to pause work sites throughout the US during Construction Safety week to create the largest industry-wide safety stand down ever held.

The 2024 Safety Week theme, Value Every Voice, is designed to connect and strengthen the message throughout the industry. The theme explores four components: 

Driving personal ownership:

• The safety & success of any construction project is determined by the individual decisions and actions of every team member, the things they see, communicate and act on day in and day out. 

• Recognize the role and responsibility of every individual to own their environment and safety, and the importance of building confidence in every team member

Encouraging and welcoming new ideas:

• Show that being more inclusive with safety planning, programming and practices leads to deeper trust, respect, unity and understanding within teams.

• Ensuring every individual fully understands why things are done a certain way, why it should matter to them and why their role is important to the outcome.

Embracing every voice:

• Everyone is empowered to use their voice, but voices only matter if they are heard.

• Emphasize the importance of listening and accepting what's communicated in the workplace to ensure every voice is heard, and strengthen thrust and respect within teams.

Strengthening our safety culture:

• Building a strong safety culture takes the collective and individual efforts of all levels within an organization.

• Elevate the individual contribution to our collective success in building a stronger safety culture that inspires and impacts the future of our industry. 

Every person in the industry plays an essential role in safety. It takes commitment, determination, and confidence in each and every one of us to create positive change and a culture that places safety above all. We must embrace it, practice it, and live it every day and be proud of the work we do, the company we represent, and the impact we can make in our career, community and industry… How do you demonstrate this commitment in the workplace?

REMINDER: Safety is not a one person show. The work that it takes to make OUR Safety Program successful is the WORK that is put in across the company - by our executive team, management, office staff, and the field superintendents.

From approvals with providing OSHA , CPR/ First Aid, MEWP training from the Executive level to our Project Managers coordinating safety lunches and safety incentives to the Office Staff assisting with signage and supplies/PPE and continued through to our Superintendents and Field Staff being our eyes and ears in the field on a daily basis executing and implementing our safety protocols through safe practices and collecting daily JHA and weekly toolbox talks from our subcontractors. Our current safety program is in its infancy, it's only three years old, but with continued commitment, understanding, open discussion and continual feedback from each other, we are heading in the right direction to building a withstanding safety culture.

• Mike Foggie, Safety Director