News
Ancon's President Shares Safety Story
Posted: 05/17/2007
May 17, 2007 – GOSHEN IN. - Ancon’s President, Bill Hunt, puts it very simply: “At Ancon, it’s all about safety. Safety is our #1 priority.
“All of our meetings start with discussing safety. We work toward employee buy-in, to get everyone involved. We talk openly about safety, using these tools to find areas that need improvement. Our employees know that our safety conversations are not going away.
“We invest in safety training. Safety is a budget line item. We have a full-time Safety Manager on staff. All new Ancon employees complete an initial safety program and are certified in fall protection training. Our field employees participate in weekly training sessions on various topics. We’ve brought in outside experts to conduct workshops. Employees receive certificates acknowledging their completion of these programs. Our field supervisors and key personnel have completed and been certified in OSHA 10-hour training, first aid and CPR. In addition, all field employees have been certified for rough terrain equipment operation.
“Ancon has an accountability program to ensure that all employees are following OSHA and company policies. All personnel must sign a written Accident and Injury Prevention Policy acknowledging their responsibility to comply with this program as a condition of employment.
“We expect our subcontractors and everyone connected with the jobsite to comply with our safety policy. All of our subcontractors are provided with the Ancon policy and are required to sign off their agreement to communicate the policy to their employees working on Ancon jobsites.
We perform regular inspections and safety audits. All supervisors are required to perform a weekly toolbox safety talk with all employees and to complete a written jobsite inspection report. Equipment is inspected daily for use on the jobsite. Our Safety Manager, Dean Hiles, regularly visits each job site to assist with any safety issues, with an emphasis on awareness and prevention.
“Our goal is zero accidents. We’ve developed measuring devices that show where we are and where we have been. We share this information with our employees, showing them what’s being done right, and where we need to improve. We work with our employees to emphasize the reporting of “near miss” incidents. Our policy is that all accidents must be reported, no matter how minor.
“We try to make safety education and awareness a positive feature of the job. We recently implemented a weekly safety quiz for field employees, with a prize drawing among those who answer all the questions correctly.
“We work closely with Gibson Insurance Group and Amerisure Insurance Company, to improve our safety programs, policies and procedures on an ongoing basis. Over the past year, this relationship has helped Ancon make significant progress in our overall commitment to safety.
“Overall, our safety efforts are proving to be a good business decision, in terms of both financial and human capital. We want every employee to go home safe and sound every day.”
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Comments from Gibson Insurance Group and Amerisure Insurance:
“Ancon’s management commitment to safety is exemplary. They truly believe it is a good, profitable business practice to run a safe jobsite and, therefore, demand that of their supervisors, their field employees and their subcontractors.” Gregory S. Downes, President, Gibson Insurance Group.
“Ancon Construction continues to demonstrate that accountability toward safety at all levels creates a proactive safety culture. Ancon takes this approach not only with their employees, but with any individuals present on one of their job sites.” Kathleen Incandela, MS, Vice President, Director of Loss Prevention, Gibson Insurance Group.
“Ancon’s commitment to jobsite safety has earned them the reputation of having one of the strongest safety cultures in the construction industry in Northern Indiana.” Jody Wilburn, Senior Loss Control Consultant, Amerisure Insurance Company, Inc.
