UMC wins the AGC Build Washington Safety Excellence Award in our category. In addition, our Safety Director, Kirk Baisch was named AGC Build Washington’s Safety Professional of the Year. The awards were announced at today’s virtual celebration.
UMC holds safety as our number one value. During an uncertain and tumultuous year last year, and amidst schedules being more frequently compressed, major staffing increases, and a pandemic, our safety culture continued to strengthen and we produced a record-breaking EMR of 0.5502 – the lowest in UMC history!
How do we do it? With the overarching principle that motivates our crews—pride. Our “Pride-based Safety” program is led by Kirk Baisch. It’s based on knowing you are doing the right thing at the right time for the right reasons, especially when no one is looking. Everyone is responsible for their safety and the safety of their coworkers; attitude is one of the essential elements of our safety program. We no longer have a “have to” attitude, but instead are motivated by pride, where employees work safely because they want to. UMC’s pride-based safety culture consists of simple, yet powerful, strategies that always keep safety top of mind.
The four Pride-based Safety principles we live by:
- Lead by Example – Do the right thing, not because it’s a rule, but because it’s right.
- Own Your Zone – Evaluate your work area to ensure it’s clean, organized, and hazard-free.
- 5 for 5 – Every 5 minutes, do a 5-second visual risk assessment.
- Know When to Stop – If you’re unsure, STOP, ask, and get more information.
“We have blown away any expectations we set for ourselves and our safety culture continues to grow stronger than ever,” said Kirk. “We are proud to be a part of such an amazing organization that is driving safety to new heights. We look forward to how our systems, processes, and culture are progressing and where that will catapult us into the forefront of what is possible in the future.”
Read more about the awards in Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce: https://www.djc.com/special/ag...
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