BUILDING A “PEOPLE FIRST” SAFETY CULTURE EPIC’s Risk Control & Safety department recently conducted a safety audit and training visit at Pavestone-Atlanta, a subsidiary of The Quikrete Companies. The plant manager, Butch Jones, was so impressed with the outcome of that site visit, that he took time to write this letter of thanks, and to commend the service EPIC’s Risk Control team has provided to his plant. Hello All, I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank you for the site visit last month. You did an outstanding job reaching the employees, which is a constant fight in our quest to change the culture and everyone’s outlook on being safe‒ and meaning it. This plant has slowly been gaining traction in reaching our people. Seeing an outside auditor with a passion for safety really helped change the tide in getting them to put safety first in everything they do. Even with the number of in-house audits we do here, what Greg Wilson brought to the table was very refreshing‒ identifying hazards we have missed. This means a lot to me. He brought relevance and knowledge to the audit that we could all benefit from. To me, it is not so much about being compliant, but getting all employees educated on the different hazards we face to prevent them from reoccurring (culture). Keeping near misses from occurring and working to eliminate them through education and quick identification is key to an “Accident Free” workplace. Lastly, I want to thank you for the most important part of this audit (by far)‒ the employee training session. Typically this is 1-2 hours of beating the men up on safety rules, which is needed, but they feel they get enough of this from me weekly in our meetings and daily from our pre-shift tool box talks. After the training, I had a follow-up to the meeting and asked what the men thought? In the past, I would get comments like: “Man, they are here again to tell us what we are doing wrong” or “We are going to have to sit through another couple hours of preaching again.” This visit, I got totally different reactions from the employees. Couple guys were just like “Oh great, here is that compliance guy again and now Butch is going to have us fix and clean forever after he leaves” or “We are going to get some new rules.” Then the meeting came and it turned real personal. A couple guys mentioned it helped them understand the “real reason” we stand up there each week and talk about safety. I heard “There truly is a “back stage” to the story and the reasons we do things‒ to keep us safe,” and “The auditor brought passion and personal experience to the meeting,” and “I believe him and Butch when they say that we are educating them in these meetings because they do not want to explain to my loved ones why they could not keep us safe.” Their comments were the main indicator to me that culture is changing in Atlanta! And, I just wanted to tell you “Thank You” for what you do! For more information about our Risk Control and Safety Services, visit the Loss Control page under Products, Services & Expertise at epicbrokers.com. “To me, it is not so much about being compliant, but getting all employees educated on the different hazards we face to prevent them from reoccurring (culture). Keeping near misses from occurring and working to eliminate them through education and quick identification is key to an ‘Accident Free’ workplace.” Butch Jones Plant Manager Pavestone LLC- ATLP Office: (770) 306-9691 Direct: (678) 362-6449 EPICBROKERS.COM RISK CONTROL & SAFETY OSHA 10-HOUR “COMPETENT PERSON” GENERAL INDUSTRY TRAINING EPIC Risk Control and Safety Consultants conduct this course, which is ideal for business owners, risk managers, safety managers, and others with safety and health responsibilities. Attendees will be introduced to OSHA policies, procedures, standards, and the inspection process, as well as general industry safety and health principles. ESSENTIALS OF FLEET SAFETY AND SECURITY An EPIC Risk Control and Safety Consultant leads this full day of training dedicated to motor carrier safety, compliance, and security. Participants will learn key requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, cargo theft prevention methods, and information about CSA: Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (previously known as CSA2010). Topics covered include: • Driver Qualification • Maintenance • Hours of Service • Drug and Alchhol Testing • Preparing for a Compliance Review THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISION: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMPANY EPIC Risk Control and Safety Consultants, Collision Analysis Professionals, Law Enforcement Agencies, and Litigation Experts from the law office of Freeman Mathis & Gary team up to present this day-long course. Classroom instruction includes policy and procedures, driver qualification, fleet maintenance, and hours of services. Demonstrations include a mock accident investigation and inspection and a mock trial. LEARNING IS A LIFELONG JOURNEY. COME EXPLORE THESE OPPORTUNITIES TODAY! ABOUT OUR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION SERVICES Understanding the complexity of risk management and insurance is a challenge even for experienced insurance professionals. Employers need to keep abreast of constantly changing trends, laws, and other regulations. EPIC regularly sponsors informative events to help keep you informed about current topics that present everyday challenges for your business. We provide seminars, webinars, workshops, and continuing education classes that will help you better understand the issues influencing your risk management and benefit plan decisions. Don’t miss the next opportunity to explore some of the most pressing issues of your business. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF CLASSES CURRENTLY SCHEDULED, GO TO THE KNOWLEDGE CENTER AT EPICBROKERS.COM. epicbrokers.com | 770.232.0202