Rummel Construction sees prevention as a way of life.
Because most of Rummel Construction's operations take place in the desert southwest where temperatures rise above 100 degrees, the heavy-civil general contractor identifies heat-related illness as a major operational risk.
To combat that, Rummel has developed its own heat illness prevention program, which involves training, communication, supervision and emergency procedures.
"Safety excellence isn't just getting to zero; it's knowing and doing what it takes to duplicate and continually improve upon our success," says Steve Lopez, senior safety officer for Rummel.
Rummel has a workspace management aspect to its safety system. That involves planning, scheduling and coordinating activity to prevent collisions between heavy equipment, vehicles and people.
"Although some of its elements are accepted industry practices, our program consolidates them into a functioning synergistic process," Lopez says.
Before becoming a supervisor, employees must complete safety leadership training. This one-day training with the safety department serves to inform the new supervisors and to lay groundwork for a relationship with the safety department.
Supervisors also lead daily safety meetings before each shift and hold weekly health and safety program manual training. During the safety manual training, they cover a pre-selected section of the manual, which serves to reinforce materials to supervisors and employees.
"We believe safety is an integral part of the production process, and as such must never be jeopardized under the pretense of operational necessity," Lopez says.
Rummel Construction Inc.
Scottsdale, Ariz.
370 employees/3 EHS professionals
Heavy-civil general contractor