Safety has always been a high priority for Madison, but for the last four years, we have gone beyond traditional safety meetings and changed our entire culture. Our safety program is about coming together as a collective whole, so all employees are committed. Partnering with our insurance provider, The Graham Company, we implemented the Kairos safety program with two key goals:
- Zero injuries at any given job.
- Continue to make safety an intrinsic part of what we do and who we are.
Building on the success of our long-time approach, this program incorporates safety procedures into our company’s culture so that they become a natural part of daily activities. This is done through teamwork, collaborative evaluation of incidents to determine measures that reduce risk, and teaching employees to proactively identify and mitigate risks.
Participation is expected at every level of the organization. Our 30-person safety team includes staff from executive managers, project managers, superintendents, foremen, journeymen and other field staff. This team meets every 6 to 8 weeks, and members break into two groups to separately tackle safety issues and then come back together to share solutions.
Meetings are normally held at either jobsites or The Graham Company offices, however, after a comment from a cement mason, the Dec. 4 meeting was a combination meeting/holiday gathering at a Philadelphia favorite, Chickie’s & Pete’s restaurant. The Feb. 5 meeting was held at Lincoln Financial Field which is the home of the Philadelphia Eagles. While at Lincoln Field, the group was treated to a tour of the stadium.
We are so proud of the commitment and dedication of every member of the safety committee. Their meetings generate a lot of open discussion and continue to find areas where we can improve.
We’d love to hear about how you’re approaching safety on your projects, and how we can use our experience to assist you.