Supervisor's Safety Breakfast Underground Construction Co., Inc. has been conducting quarterly supervisors' safety meetings for over 35 years. In what has become a true Underground tradition, the safety breakfasts provide a forum for the exchange of ideas for making Underground a safer place to work. Originally, the meetings were held in a small conference room over the shop in the old San Leandro yard, with a total attendance of fewer than thirty people. The meetings have evolved over the years to a breakfast in a country club facility with an average attendance of about ninety people. With over 400 employees working all over northern California, the safety breakfasts also give supervisors, engineers and managers a rare opportunity to get together and catch up on current projects and assignments. No matter how valuable our Saturday mornings are, there's always a big crowd that arrives early to talk before the actual meeting begins. A typical Saturday morning meeting begins with breakfast,
followed by self-introductions including a statement of where each of us
is currently working. Each meeting is hosted by a different person who
is free to add a personal flavor to the introductions. "All of us at Underground Construction Co., Inc. are proud of our safety record and performance" Safety performance is reviewed, trends are identified, and important safety issues are addressed. Whether we have a guest speaker, a safety video, a demonstration, or an original skit performed by the safety department, valuable information is presented for the supervisors to later share with their crews. The most exciting meetings are those at which safety awards are given. Each March, the Safe Driving Awards are issued. Recognition for each year of safe driving performance is given in the form of prizes. This year we gave out 120 prizes, the highest of which was for 22 years of safe driving! The most anticipated meeting is in December, when we give out the highly coveted Golden Trench Jack Award. This honor goes to the supervisor with the greatest number of man-hours supervised without a recordable injury. The winner receives a trip for two to Hawaii. Runners up receive cash awards for their achievements. Always a secret until the presentation, the identities of the winners is a subject of much speculation for weeks in advance of the meeting. All of us at Underground Construction Co., Inc. are proud of our safety record and performance, and participation in the Quarterly Safety Breakfast meetings is just one way we show our commitment to Safety. |