FHG Inc. does not have a budget for safety.
That's because the company sees it as an essential operating business principle.
"Safety is our lifeblood. It's not something we need to make a case for," says Graham Clark, compliance manager for FHG.
The company doesn't separate the money, time or resources it spends on safety from normal operational expenses because it doesn't see those as separate expenses.
"We do what we need to do, investing what we need to invest, to keep our employees safe," says Clark. "For instance, we do not have a PPE budget; if our guys need new gloves, we get them new gloves."
The emphasis on making safety a part of the culture of the business starts at the top.
The president, Ben Wright, and the CFO, Dan Wray, both of whom are owners of FHG, attend biweekly meetings about near misses and other incidents.
Beyond that, the two owners are members of the company's critical response team. The CRT, which was established this year, responds when there are critical occurrences – incidents, near misses, stop work authorization – that require a coordinated response.
But the company doesn't define safety by zero accidents. Rather, it achieves it through the efforts, awareness and commitment of its employees to a safe workplace.
As part of its safety efforts, FHG encourages employees to consider three groups of people: themselves, those around them and their families.
"Employees must care about their own safety, and we continually emphasize ways for workers to stay safe. We also urge vigilance for how our work may affect others, including coworkers, other contractors and customers," Clark says. "Most importantly, remembering our families while we work gives us the motivation to come home safely."
FHG Inc.
Charlotte, NC
101 employees/
2 EHS professionals
Oil terminal and pipeline
construction
and maintenance
