Skilled Craft workers are the soul of our projects – they are the ones getting the work done every day. They know the tools needed and steps to follow to put their work in place smoothly. The Skilled Craft workers know to build with quality and how to build safely.
Strong Voices, Safe Choices
It is critically important that we empower everyone on our teams to be inquisitive and understand the strength of their voice. When something may not be 100% right or go exactly as planned, the craft workers and field employees must understand that they have the right to stop work and make the adjustments necessary to build safely. At Gilbane, we believe it is this empowered, strong voice that ensures everyone goes home with a sense of accomplishment, and most importantly, healthy at the end of the day.
When our teams are faced with tight schedules, it is especially important to pay attention to safety and use our voices when someone is tempted to take an unsafe shortcut. To do our work properly we have to make safe choices all the time. Ensure our workers take the time to always work safely and not push the envelope. We must always invest the time in pre-task planning to ensure the work is not rushed and remains safe.
National Safety Stand-Down
This week is also OSHA’s Stand-Down to prevent falls in construction. This is an opportunity to ensure the Skilled Craft workers are trained to make safe choices while working at height. It is not a coincidence that these weeks align – we know that connecting our voices helps us all make safe choices together!
Like every Safety Week, I will take the time to talk with as many field employees on Gilbane job sites as possible to ensure they know that their strong voices drive safe choices. I hope to empower them to step in, speak up, and take action.
