The Herman Goldner Co., Inc. Safety Program has four key elements:
Management Commitment
Hazard Identification and Correction
Education and Training
Employee Involvement
To further these four elements, the Safety Program includes:
Active Safety Committee
Monthly safety meetings are conducted by executive management and attended by staff and field representatives. Herman Goldner Co., Inc., the CEO of the Company, attends and participates in these monthly meetings. Incidents, hazards, recognizing employees who contributed to the safety efforts in the field, and training needs are among the topics addressed each month.
Safety Observation Sighting (SOS) Program
The Herman Goldner Co., Inc. SOS program is a formal procedure where personnel report substandard or noteworthy field conditions affecting employee safety and health to both the site and the Herman Goldner Co., Inc. management so that prompt corrective action can be taken. Employees are recognized for participating in the program and personally addressing safety hazards by being awarded cash rewards between $25.00 and $100.00 for SOS reports.
Weekly Safety Training
Safety toolbox talks are conducted every week at every construction job site, using training and information materials prepared for the mechanical trades. The Company uses toolbox talks specific to mechanical trades. In addition, the Herman Goldner Co., Inc. has implemented a web-based safety training program for those employees, such as Service Technicians, who do not routinely work at a fixed site. Employee attendance is mandatory, documented, and periodically reviewed.
Safety Orientation
Every new employee receives an orientation to the Company policies and procedures and a copy of the Safety Handbook produced by the Mechanical Contractors' Association. These handbooks review of safety and health issues specific to the mechanical trades and contain more than 50 topics and more than 40 color graphics for pipe fitting, plumbing and HVAC service work. Company drivers are also provided with a driver's manual of rules and regulations pertaining to the use of company vehicles.
Specialized Training
Herman Goldner Co., Inc. schedules specialized safety training so employees can safely perform their jobs. Examples of such training programs include Lockout Tagout, First Aid and CPR, OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour Outreach Programs, Signal Person Training, Arc Flash Protection, Trenching and Excavation, Forklift Truck Operator, Scaffold Competent Person, and Fall Protection Training. Herman Goldner Co., Inc.'s policy is to staff every job with professional mechanical tradesmen who are fully versed in identifying hazards and empowered to correct unsafe conditions that could impact its employees, customers and the general public.
Personalized Protective Equipment
Safety glasses and hard hats are standard issue for every Herman Goldner Co., Inc. employee. Every manager and the Company Owner model the expected behavior by wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment on every job site visit. Infractions, should they occur, are promptly addressed. Every foreman and project manager is authorized to purchase whatever personal protective equipment he or she believes is needed to complete the work safely.
Safety Equipment
Herman Goldner Co., Inc. provides a selection of quality safety equipment to its job sites so every journeyman and apprentice has the equipment needed to perform their work safely. This equipment includes Type IA fiberglass ladders, harnesses and associated fall protection equipment, scaffolds and scaffold planking that meets OSHA requirements, confined space meters and rescue equipment, certified welding machines, and electric shock and arc flash protection clothing and the appropriate level electrical meters for Service Technicians.
Health Control
Hexavalent Chromium Exposure: Herman Goldner Co., Inc. has performed air sampling and evaluates its stainless steel welding operations to ensure that airborne concentrations do not exceed the OSHA limits.
Written Program
Herman Goldner Co., Inc. has written safety and health policies and procedures developed with loss control professionals and the Company management. These policies and procedures are periodically reviewed for accuracy and completeness and updated as needed. Site-specific written plans are developed as needed to address certain tasks such as lockout and system turnover to the site owner, critical crane lifts, and fall protection plans.
Safety Award Program
The program measures our field incident levels as a company and the awards are given to every member of our field team semi-annually if the safety targets are obtained. If the goals are met throughout the year, an additional award drawing will be held at the end of the year. Our clients have deemed the required incident level as less than 4.0 (number of incidents in relation to the number of hours worked).
Semi-Annual Awards:
If we are below 4.0 halfway through the year (June), Herman Goldner Co., Inc. will award $50 Visa gift cards to all field employees (approx. $10,000) in July. This will again be done if we maintain being under the mark at the end of the year (December) with another award of a $50 Visa gift card to all field employees (approx. $10,000) in January.
End of Year Drawing:
In addition to the second semi-annual gift cards as noted above, the company will do an end of year drawing picking 25 field employees to award each an additional $250 Visa gift card ($6,250) in January.
The purpose of the Safety Award Program is to help maintain a high awareness by field personnel for safety on the job, on the highway and in the fabrication shops with recognition rewards of up to $26,250.
Site Inspections
Herman Goldner Co., Inc. Foremen inspect their work sites daily. The Company uses a safety engineer to periodically perform comprehensive inspections that include site conditions and work practices, job safety planning, site safety management, and employee training. These inspection reports are distributed to the management team and reviewed during the monthly safety committee meetings to ensure safe conditions are maintained in all Herman Goldner Co., Inc. operations.
Job Safety Planning
Safety and health is included in construction focus meetings, project turnover meetings, and project bid proposals to eliminate or mitigate hazards associated with Herman Goldner Co., Inc. work. Site-specific safety plans are prepared for certain operations as needed. Examples of where site-specific safety plans may be prepared include critical crane lifts, fall protection plans, confined space entry, and hot work operations.
Analysis of Safety Performance
Herman Goldner Co., Inc. prepares monthly and annual analyses of incidents, injuries and SOS reports that are reviewed by management and the safety committee. The purpose of this analysis is to identify any area of concern before an injury results and to recognize employee performance. Herman Goldner Co., Inc.'s mandatory policy of wearing of safety glasses on company lanyards is an example of a safety program that resulted from an analysis of incidents.