PPM Consultants works diligently each year to ensure all employees follow company health and safety protocols, and is proud to report zero OSHA recordable incidents in 2015. Workplace safety, especially in industries with field environments, is paramount to protecting company and client assets and mitigating financial and human health risks.
Shawn Ivey, Principal and District Manager over the Monroe office remarked, “Achieving a zero OSHA Recordable Incident Rate every year is PPM’s ultimate goal. A zero rate for 2015 means that we kept our employees safe and provided our company with the ability to work with a larger group of clients. I attribute this success to PPM’s diligent Health and Safety program.”
Jeri Thrasher, Health and Safety Director at PPM, explained, “OSHA recordable incidents are those that result in a fatality, lost days, job restrictions or transfers, loss of consciousness, or injuries and illnesses that require medical attention beyond first aid.” Thrasher, who joined PPM in 1999, launched PPM’s current Health and Safety program to address the hazards relevant to the environmental engineering industry. Thrasher works with designated Safety Supervisors who are positioned at each office to ensure uniform implementation of corrective actions and policy updates.
The PPM Health and Safety program takes a unique approach to workplace accident prevention. Rather than celebrating “days without injury,” which can encourage employees to underreport workplace safety issues or injuries, Thrasher has implemented a Safety Incentive Program that celebrates awareness of potential health and safety concerns and reinforces positive work behaviors. Employees are encouraged to analyze their respective environments—both office and field—and report areas for improvement. A panel comprised of Health and Safety leadership reviews the near-miss and positive recognition submittals quarterly and distributes awards to the best entries.
These submittals inform response on jobsites as well as content for company-wide Toolbox training sessions. A recent submittal informed Health and Safety leadership that certain roof and canopy structures at a jobsite were in poor condition. In response, PPM crews blocked off the hazardous area and communicated the warning to all employees and subcontractors. Health and Safety at PPM begins with an attitude of awareness. “By providing consistent and frequent training of our staff and subcontractors, Health and Safety has become second nature at PPM. The continual success of the Health and Safety program in 2016 and the years to come will provide additional opportunities for our staff and company,” said Ivey.
Health and Safety at PPM begins with an attitude of awareness. “By providing consistent and frequent training of our staff and subcontractors, Health and Safety has become second nature…”
PPM strives for Health and Safety protocol and performance that meets or exceeds the standards of its clients. By holding its employees accountable to stringent Health and Safety protocol, PPM helps protect its clients by minimizing the risk of on-site accidents. When asked how offices can mitigate health and safety incidents in 2016, Thrasher encouraged each employee to, “Avoid complacency. Don’t be robotic in your tasks. Be careful.”