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Safety through Covid.
Safety is our culture at East & Westbrook. We designed it that way and sustain the effort of keeping it as such for our people, for our clients and because it's the right thing to do. 2020 was certainly a year where safety was on the minds of more than just the construction industry. With COVID-19 impacting everyone on an unprecedented and global scale, East & Westbrook leaned in to make sure we did our part to keep our team and community safe, healthy and successful.
Normally in January we renew our strong safety culture with an all-hands Safety Summit. The annual Safety Summit is a fantastic opportunity to review our safety outcomes in the prior year and plan our safety strategy and goals for the new coming year. Sure, we have a safety huddle for each job each day, site-specific safety plans and an SHQ team of 7 full-time professionals, but we don’t stop there. We are always studying and modifying our safety program (called the Safety Hexagon), ensuring that our team is on top of the latest safety procedures and we see something really special in having everyone together when it comes to driving home the point of who we tirelessly work to keep safe.
How did we hold such a meeting when being together itself is unsafe due to the pandemic? We absolutely did not do it over Zoom. We went to the drive-in of course!
We, at East & Westbrook Construction, were happy to host the East & Westbrook 2021 Safety Summit at the Sauerbeck Family Drive-In. The entire East & Westbrook Construction team gathered (safely in their cars) to celebrate its outstanding safety record and establish detailed safety strategies that can improve the company’s already terrific track record.
Our 2021 Safety Summit was a great representation of what makes East & Westbrook Construction special. While many other construction companies would rest on their laurels with such a stellar safety record (3-time Governor Safety Award recipient, EHS Today Safest Company), we want to get even better. For others, the pandemic may mean the easiest solution is a ZOOM meeting or worse, no meeting at all. Working together, we are confident that we will deliver by doing the right thing. Just like it was the right thing to keep our Safety Summit on the schedule, even if it took some creativity.
In the past, our Safety Summits have had themes like “We Care”, “We Own Safety”, and “Good to Great” that our team works to embody throughout the year. This year, 2021 our team is caring forward, “Do the Right Thing”.
Everyone in the East & Westbrook family began their construction career at some point, somewhere. Many were right here with our company. For others, they learned the trade elsewhere and then made their way onto our team. One common bond that unites us all is we are construction professionals. There are no amateurs at East & Westbrook. We dress professionally, wear professional PPE, our high-quality work is professional, and of course, our safety is world-class. To make that happen, how all team members begin their career at East & Westbrook is extremely critical to their future career growth and success. To be a construction pro at East & Westbrook, you need to know the E&W way. If once you know the E&W way, you need to help pass it on to the next person we will hire this spring, this summer, or next year. They could even be someone you know or are related to. That is why East & Westbrook created the Team Green program for new team members to assist with their first 60 days in the company. We want to show every team member, whether they have worked here for 30 years or 30 days, how to do the right thing on their project.
E&W leaders regularly discuss how important planning is for us all to be successful. We must have a plan, and we must communicate that plan. Are we making a pour today? Are we hoisting something high above us? Are we wrecking forms and cleaning up? Planning helps us all know what we intend to do so we can select the right tools and equipment for the job and know how to use our time. But the single most important planning we do every morning is our Task Performance Plan (TPP). Our team members are in one of these every day. Nobody starts work until they have a thorough understanding of the planned tasks for the day and how they are going to do them safely. It is not a coincidence, it is thorough, careful planning that every crew on every job will do the right thing. Just as important as planning before starting work is checking in on the situation around us as the day progresses. Plans change and job sites evolve, that’s why the East & Westbrook team focuses on the Tasks Between the Task (TBT). Keeping up with our TBT program is as simple as staying mindful of the little tasks (like loading a box into a truck) and check-in on your surroundings at least once every 20 minutes for new risks or environmental changes.
The Good Catch program is central to our safety culture at East & Westbrook. Good Catches are extremely vital to the success of our safety track record. And we know it works because the numbers show it, as do the compliments we receive from our customers. Turning in a Good Catch is where East & Westbrook gets to show we know how to Do the Right Thing, because when we see something that could be a hazard or risk, we speak up, and we listen to each other. Our Team uses the training they received from orientation through Team Green—through their entire time at E&W. Our team has the knowledge. Our team uses the information they covered in their morning TPP, they know the tasks and how to do them safely. If something does not appear safe, we celebrate (literally celebrate) our team members turning in a Good Catch and preventing an incident.
Our 2021 Safety Summit was the perfect mix of thoughtful reflection, strategic planning, and enthusiastic celebration for our safety accomplishments. We are extremely excited. We look forward to completing the safest and most professional construction work for our clients. We eagerly anticipate the chance to make our already-stellar safety record even better. East & Westbrook is special, we are special because our team has created one of the safest companies in the state, in the nation, and is literally one of the best places to work.
Safety Summit 2021 was a success of our safety team and of our team at large for coming together in a safe way to strengthen our safety culture bonds. Our way of Doing the Right Thing.
