BUILDING TOGETHER March 2019 Tommy’s Car Wash | Plainfield Township, MI
Upcoming Events April 1-5 | Spring Break Stay-Cation Register on EVinsite April 1 | E&V Store Opens for Purchase EVinsite April 10 | Safety Meeting E&V Warehouse April 10 | E&V YOUniversity Finishing and Painting E&V Warehouse April 19 | Good Friday Office is closed for 1/2 day April 22-25 | Safety Week Pinnacle Center April 24 | MiCareerQuest Devos Place Don’t forget to check EVinsite for all upcoming events and details!
Safety Tip: Underground Utilities: Always plan your excavation tasks ahead of time and ensure there is an emergency plan in place in case a utility line is damaged! BUILDINGTOGETHER | March 2019
WE CAN HELP EVERYONE, EVERY DAY DOUG EDDY SENIOR FIELD MANAGER “I’m from the government and I’m here to help!” You may have laughed or rolled your eyes at that, but there is truth to that saying. We are fortunate to work for a company that truly believes in “safety first”. E&V believes safety is #1 to us as employees, to the trade partners on our projects and to the industry as a whole. And while we are an industry leader in safety, the rest of the industry hasn’t always been on board. Therefore, in 1974 the State of Michigan passed Public Act 154 and created MIOSHA; and yes, they did this to help us. OSHA doesn’t investigate construction projects to catch you doing something wrong, they are actually focused on your employer’s compliance with MIOSHA requirements. The Act made it your employer’s responsibility to provide you with the tools and training to help you do your job safely.
Most likely the unsafe acts we see aren’t because the person woke up that morning with the intent to work in an unsafe manner or to get hurt, but rather they didn’t have a plan that involved safety. There will always be the renegade that will work unsafe regardless of the tools and training given. That situation would be a rare instance if all employers “Led From the Heart” and saw a moral obligation in the safety of their employees. It’s obvious when companies only have a written safety program and don’t have a safety culture. They don’t send their employees out with a plan to get the job done safely. These companies “stress out” during an OSHA investigation; some even instruct their guys to leave if OSHA shows up. Public Act 154 was enacted to help those employees. As leaders in safety, it’s also our job to help trades understand safe working conditions. With all of your help, we can continue to improve safety on every construction site, one project at a time.
We get frustrated with guys on our sites who see us as the safety police forcing our rules upon them, but our frustration needs to start with their employer. Page 1