Safety

Wilson’s Safety Program is a based on a culture encompassing the entire company, top to bottom, side to side.  This safety culture and company wide participation both make our company a great place to work. Our Safety Team is comprised of a collection of diverse individuals with well over 100 years of industry specific experience.

Policy

Safety Mission Statement:  Safety is our culture.  It is a “round the clock” attitude shared throughout Wilson Construction Company.  It is present from very first job walk and daily tail boards on through the day’s production.  The safety attitude continues further to job clean up and our drives home to family.  Our safety culture is an engrained part of our daily lives, on and off the job.

Goals­

• Successfully complete projects within the safety culture.
• Ensure the safety of our workforce.
• Ensure the safety of the general public around or associated with our work.

Programs

Plan
Starting at the top, all Wilson Construction Company management team members are held accountable for all activities associated with project management. Specifically, safety and environmental management are addressed in pre-employment briefings as well as periodic management training. Inspecting for performance, compliance and potential hazardous conditions, work sites are regularly (and irregularly) visited by corporate safety and management personnel. Safety records are regularly published company wide and supervisor’s individual records are reviewed annually as part of the performance review process.

Before a job starts, several things happen, we outline safety programs to fit the job based on analysis of the scope of work.

Our corporate safety personnel review our subcontractor’s safety and environmental programs. Specifically checking for applicability and adequacy, we determine which program is more stringent. Based on job site requirements, we work with subcontractors to determine appropriate implementation. Additionally, our safety managers follow-up with subcontractors throughout the job process to ensure compliance with all safety and environmental programs.

Our safety culture places emphasis on doing the job right at all levels on the job site and is backed up by examples and leadership from management of corporate safety personnel:

• Foremen – Primary responsibility is to lead by example, monitoring of programs and procedures.  Counsel crew.  Report to supervisor.

• Site Superintendent – Supervisory responsibility to ensure compliance, investigate incidents and/or near misses.  Report to the management team.

• Safety Director – Inspect for compliance, review incident investigations, investigate as necessary. Provide safety and environmental direction and guidance for Site Superintendents and Safety Staff.

• Safety Staff – Support the Safety Director with site inspection as well as form development, documentation, recording and publication. Manage safety incentive programs.

• Safety Committee – Voices workforce safety and environmental concerns. Adjudication body for company safety and environmental programs.

Workers are trained by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in conjunction with the National Electrical Contractors Association under the auspices of the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee. This initial training is the basis of our safety culture.  As part of the apprentice-training program, numerous hours are spent training on both safety and environmental programs.

Upon arrival to the site, prior to commencement of work activities, all workers shall be trained in safety and environmental programs to include but not limited to:

• Definition of qualification
• Verification of skill and qualification,
• Nature and scope of work,
• Daily tailboards - work practices/routines
• weekly safety meetings,
• Job Safety Analysis (JSA) – Identification of workplace hazards and mitigation plans, procedures,  methodologies,
• Distribution and wearing of PPE,
• Location and employment of additional safety equipment and,
• Program compliance requirements and consequences.

Workers are required to wear PPE to include eye protection, hearing protection and hard hats as base levels of protection. As part of the daily tailboard, the foremen cover job tasks that will require additional protection.  During this meeting, the crew will discuss the appropriate PPE, distribute it and practice using it.

Our safety culture is focused on our keeping our workforce safe.  It also includes consideration for the general public and our valued customers.  Our normal company policy includes the previously mentioned daily tailboards as well as weekly safety meetings to be conducted with and attended by all our employees and subcontractors.  The weekly topics are selected and tailored to fit the needs of crews by type (transmission, distribution, substation, shop, warehouse, etc.) by our corporate safety staff with input from site managers.

Training
In 1999, in cooperation with the Northwest Line Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, Wilson Construction Company created a mobile training for the purpose of providing on-site computer training to our employees in the field. In addition, Wilson Construction Company utilizes various means to educate our employees regarding workplace safety & health topics; such as traditional classroom training, on-line training and weekly safety topics.

Training Topics:

• AED CPR/First Aid
• OSHA/JATC Partnership 10 Hour Class
• Grounding
• Electrical Industry training – 1910.269
• General OSHA training – 1926
• Company Specific Safety Manual topics
• Forklift and Crane Operators’ Training and Qualification
• Drug & Alcohol Training for Supervisors
• Additional training topics are added as needed

Drug & Alcohol Program
We participate with the IBEW in a joint drug and alcohol testing program. All bargaining and non-bargaining workers are subject to pre-employment testing and subsequent random testing throughout employment.  Additionally, all management are counseled and trained in the recognition of a worker’s fitness for duty. This is part of our daily tailboard process. Weapons (other than tools required for the performance of work) are not allowed in company vehicles or to be in the possession of workers on site.  Although this testing is required by DOT for specially licensed drivers, our entire company participates to include owners, management and office staff.

Inspection
Wilson Construction Company incorporates safety and environmental inspections as part of the daily and weekly site inspections conducted by company safety and environmental personnel, superintendents, and corporate project management. Additionally, these same individuals visit the sites to conduct unscheduled operations, safety and environmental inspections.

Investigation
All incidents and near misses are investigated. The first level is crew and foreman. Work is temporarily stopped at a safe point and the investigation is normally conducted orally. If deemed worthy of further investigation, a company investigation/report is used for documentation and supervisors are notified. In turn, corporate safety staff is notified. If deemed worthy of further investigation, a member of the safety staff is dispatched to the site. Subsequent findings are reviewed by the company safety committee and published on a regular basis.

Membership/Affiliations

• National Safety Council
• OSHA/NECA Partnership Member
• NW Line Constructors Safety Committee
• Cal-NV JATC Safety Committee
• Evergreen Safety Council
• Washington State Governors Safety Committee