Safety does not happen by chance. It is the result of careful attention to programs and processes that promote safety from all angles. Maintaining safe workplaces and workspaces is everyone’s common goal, and it is a vital part of every individual’s role at Knobelsdorff.
Our written safety program meets the regulatory requirements of AWAIR (A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction Act, Minnesota Statute 182.653). But when it comes to the Knobelsdorff Safety Program, meeting the statute is just the beginning. We’ve integrated safety protocols into our regular routine, and we promote a culture of safety throughout our company. We’re proud to boost a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 0.00 for 2021 and a three-year average of 0.181.
Each jobsite has a dedicated safety lead, but safety is not the responsibility of the safety lead, the expectation is set for all employees. We promise to always keep safety as the top priority, and we achieve this through a variety of measures:
Every Thursday morning, KE holds an all-hands safety meeting. Local employees attend in person and those working in remote sites call in via a live feed video chat. During the meeting, we discuss any safety items, positive or negative, that took place on any of our job sites, at home, on the road, or throughout the construction industry. It’s a time for employees to openly discuss what happened so that others can learn from the experience.
Beyond the discussion, we also present safety-related material on topics like back safety, customer specific safety requirements, defensive driving, and PPE. All employees participate in presenting the material.
Prior to the start of each day’s work, we hold a JHA (job hazard analysis) meeting. All crew members take part in these meetings to perform a risk assessment and identify hazards associated with the scope of work, along with the mitigation techniques that will be used for those hazards. JHA meetings also ensure that crew members have the skillset to complete the assigned tasks in a safe and productive manner. Our crews understand that a quality JHA will save them time in the long run and ensure that everyone will go home safe at the end of the day.
Insurance providers judge companies through their EMR, and will detail the cost of previous injuries in order to determine the potential cost of future claims. Our EMR is no different and impacts the entire company - from reducing insurance costs to gaining more bids on work. At almost 25% below the national average, KE has one of the lowest EMR’s for electrical contractors in the United States!
By keeping our EMR low, we are maximizing our investment in our Safety Program. It starts with a strong safety plan, actionable steps to improve safety, and training to ensure that employees are safe on the job. The Knobelsdorff Safety Program sets attainable and realistic goals and continuously works with our employees and managers to lower the frequency and severity of injuries.
KE believes that safety is everyone’s responsibility and prioritizes employee opportunities to participate in safety-related training. At the beginning of 2019, KE conducted its annual week long safety, technical, and leadership training that nearly 100 employees participated in.
During that training, they covered topics such as:
We see employee buy-in strengthen each week at our safety meetings, where both newly hired employees and seasoned veterans openly discuss safety as it relates to their work. But we don’t just talk about safety - we live it - from our processes and culture to the services we offer our customers.