Safety is a powerful movement, and one that's being championed by companies across industries and markets. This is especially true in the professional services industry. Employees are now recognized as the heartbeat of organizations - a heartbeat so valuable that executive leadership express concern for their safety in everyday messages - and that's exactly how it should be. It's the right thing to do; it should be the norm; and it's the future of what safety means to successful and sustainable businesses.
National Safety Month is an excellent opportunity to reflect on effectively communicating the necessity of practicing safety with purpose. It's great as a talking point and theory, but it's even better when safety becomes a core business principal used as a way to support smart decisions while protecting our employees and their communities.
Empowering Employees with Safety Knowledge
Our surveyors, one of the most resourceful groups we have here at Dewberry, are prepared to navigate a number of challenges on a daily basis. Despite extreme temperature, our surveyors overcome a wide spectrum of hazardous terrain like land development sites, natural gas shales, and brownfields. These situations require a strong understanding of, and belief in, safety.
I recall a specific situation where a group of surveyors operating under a tight timeline reached out about a potential hazard they recognized, thanks to a recent training program. They noticed a steep drop-off near an ideal sightline, but with no physical barrier to prevent a fall. While I'm proud of the solution we came up with, coordinating their work with the phased construction of the fence, I'm most proud that they had confidence in their ability to assess unsafe situations and used it as a reason to speak up.
In Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale, John Gibson is bringing our surveyors into the raw energy transmission market. The Shale has its own unique hazards: steep cliffs, boulders, and other impassable terrain. However, one of the most challenging situations we're preparing our surveyors for is the potential of a flash fire on active pipelines. By educating them on even the most severe situations, and selecting quality fire resistant clothing to protect them, we're teaching them how to be successful in this line of work while navigating many types of potential hazards.
Our work has a nationwide impact, and it's important that we continue to build trust within our communities by raising the bar for ourselves and reducing risk for our employees in the places they call home. It's our responsibility to make sure each one of them goes home safe and sound at the end of the day.
Letting Safety Drive Business
Safety is becoming increasingly important in our industry, and increasingly important to us. It must drive performance and be integrated into everyday business. National Safety Awareness Month spans for four weeks, and we're using each one to talk with our staff. Participating in this national focus is just a step towards reducing risk for employees, clients, and our fellow community members.