Wausau, WI – January 15, 2008 – Wausau-based general contracting firm, The Samuels Group, recently announced their newest safety milestone.
January 13 marked five years that employees at The Samuels Group have worked without a lost time accident. This safety record is factored through the collection of all personnel’s hours without a lost time accident. A lost time accident is when a Samuels Group employee is injured during work hours and cannot return to work the next day.
"At The Samuels Group, we understand how important safety is not only to our company as a whole, but to the families of the employees and our clients as well,” said Dean Henrickson, general superintendent of The Samuels Group. “At The Samuels Group, safety is not just a policy on paper, it is a corporate value that we integrate into every facet of our operation.”
The Samuels Group’s safety program is taught to every associate working in the field or office, and all subcontractors working at every job site. The firm’s belief is to have every individual return home at the end of the day in the same shape they left that morning.
“The Samuels Group has one of the lowest Experience Modification Rates (EMR) in their industry,” said John Guerndt, vice president of Compass Insurance. “A lower number will have a positive impact on their clients because it reduces insurance related expenditures which can save their clients money.” EMR is a discount associated with workers compensation insurance premiums.
Henrickson also noted that “our current EMR of 0.68 is a direct reflection of the performance of all our employees and subcontractors. Our firm’s success comes from these individuals being completely dedicated to our core value at all times. I am so proud of all the men and women that work on our team.”
“An EMR that low is especially commendable when working in the construction industry,” Guerndt continued. “It’s very refreshing to see an entire organization so deeply committed when it comes to safety. When safety is focused on as intensely as they do, it reflects in the quality of the product they build.”
The Samuels Group takes proactive measures to avoid accidents by starting each day with pre-task planning checks and stretching exercises. This ensures that employees recognize a hazard before it could cause an accident while having their bodies physically ready for all tasks.
The Samuels Group uses a two-fold safety program. The first part of the program focuses on the pre-hire qualification process including, a pre-employment drug screening, physical examination, and a simulation to ensure the employee’s qualifications align with that of the project environment the employee will be placed in. Employees are required to complete a 10-hour OSHA course while superintendents and foremen are required to complete a 30-hour OSHA program. Furthermore, weekly safety meetings are held to address requirements specific to each project.
The second part of the safety program relates to the hiring of sub-contractors. Each sub-contractor is pre-qualified by identifying its daily safety practices. They must submit a hazard specific work plan, the sub-contractor’s injury log, which contains the sub-contractor’s safety record for the previous three years, along with the sub-contractor’s EMR. These are investigated to ensure their performance meets that of The Samuels Group’s standards. This gives The Samuels Group the opportunity to establish site-specific guidelines which provides the team with a clear understanding of the safety goals. Because a sub-contractor’s safety procedures can have a direct impact on the safety of The Samuels Group’s employees, only those meeting all safety criteria are considered for hire. Once hired, the sub-contractor is required to attend all applicable construction related meetings.
Posted By:Samuels Group
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