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Safety Under The Hard Hat

Safety
Attitude
Author:
East & Westbrook Construction

Creating a safe environment is undoubtedly the most essential responsibility an employer has to their team.

Creating a safe environment is undoubtedly the most essential responsibility an employer has to their team. We take that responsibility very seriously and understand the importance of not just limiting injury and illness but preventing it.

Workplace safety has been a core value of East & Westbrook since its inception in 1977. We value our team members immensely and could never have built our organization in the industry without the unyielding, uncompromising dedication to the safety of our team. We have a zero-tolerance for failure concerning site safety. We are constantly working to execute our safety program and ensure that all people, equipment, and property are protected before and during every construction, repair, and maintenance project. Each team member who leaves their home for work in the morning should return to their home in good health each and every day.

Even if one person can suffer injury or illness, we will continue to stress and strive for safety improvement. Our safety program contains six concepts: Support, Accountability, Foresight, Engagement, Teamwork, and You.

Support: Every team member, regardless of title, plays a crucial role in developing and maintaining E&W's safety culture. We must all support safety. Creating a company culture that is inviting, inclusive, and maintains a small business feel bonds our team in a way that encourages them to collaborate and support one another. Relationships form, creating ownership of working together to keep each other safe.

Accountability: At E&W, accountability goes beyond compliance. We ensure our programs are designed to set a level of excellence in safety. We are accountable and willing to highlight our faults in order to correct them. It is much easier to work towards zero-tolerance when you have a team that works well within a system that encourages one another to communicate growth, efficiency, and safety opportunities.

Foresight: A vital component of our program is pre-planning with our Task Performance Plan (TPP). The TPP allows the crew to review the task, document the steps necessary to complete the task, and determine what hazards reduce the risk associated with each step by correcting the hazards identified. Communication is critical here. Working with your team to be proactive instead of reactive saves lives. Our TPP process sets our team up for not only a successful job but a safe one.

Engagement: Safety conversations aren't always comfortable, but all team members at E&W are empowered to be engaged with safety. It's not just the right thing to do, but it is our responsibility to speak up if we see an unsafe act or condition. Our team can engage with one another regarding safety issues because of the company culture that exists at East & Westbrook. When there is an open dialogue on every job, shift, and day about safety expectations and the consequences of not speaking up, team members engage, no matter how uncomfortable. They understand that it is about saving the lives of their fellow team.

Teamwork: When we work together, we can overcome problems by sharing ideas from each individual's unique set of knowledge and experiences. The more knowledge we share, the more we gain, and the safer we work. We believe at East & Westbrook that each team member brings something unique to our team. We strive to highlight each of our strengths and coach each other in the areas we can grow. Collaboration is not just a buzzword at East & Westbrook; it is how we do business.  

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You: Safety starts and ends with you. At E&W, safety is in our hands and is our choice. Safety cannot be sacrificed because no injury is worth the sacrifice. The culture of collaboration, teamwork, support, engagement, accountability, and foresight works because every team member chooses to put safety first. Ensuring everyone arrives home safe to their families every day will remain our top priority.

We are not all business, all the time. Our men and women work to SUPPORT one another to ensure everyone arrives home safe and sound. Our “we are family” culture allows for us to be authentic and hold each other ACCOUNTABLE, always with understanding.

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We transfer the skills we learn at East & Westbrook with regard to FORESIGHT into our personal lives, when we are designing and producing a live fireworks display.

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We practice ENGAGEMENT with one another and this comes in handy when we are planning group outings such as hunting, fishing or family vacations. The concept of TEAMWORK bleeds into our personal lives when we  play intramural sports as a team or on our own. There is no YOU in team, but without each and every one of our team members we would be nothing.

If joining the East & Westbrook team sounds like something you would like to be part of, download our eBook "More Than Just a Bunch of Hard Hats."

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If you are interested in East & Westbrook building your next project, we would love to hear from you! Contact us today. If you would love to join the team, check out our careers page. To keep up with what our team is up to, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

East & Westbrook Construction Co. Inc. has worked with commercial and industrial clients since 1977 to solve their most challenging construction problems. Through strategic partnership and calculated growth, we now offer our clients a wide variety of construction services both regionally and nationally. Today, 80% of our projects come from repeat customers. Our foundation is built on safety, quality and performance. Lastly, East & Westbrook was awarded by Louisville Business First the Best Place to Work Award. For more information about starting your next project or joining our team, call 502-222-0303.