Father and Sons’ Moment: No. 618

by Jerry Marks, TRIAD Editorial Director

With summer in full swing I recently continued a father-son tradition by taking my sons to “The Science of Big Machines,” at the Center of Science & Industry (COSI) in downtown Columbus. TRIAD works extensively with the event co-sponsors the Ohio Contractors Association and the Ohio Operating Engineers.

While this annual event allows children to climb onto the seat and behind the steering wheel, buttons and gearshifts of equipment used in construction, this year’s trip became Father and Sons’ Moment: No. 618.

En route to and from COSI, we traveled along State Route 315 which is in the midst of bridge and pavement improvements. Throughout reconstruction site my sons saw many of the same types of equipment that they just had first-hand experience with. Dad, on the other hand, was mindful of the driving conditions in the work zone and the patrol vehicles monitoring speeds. As I answered questions from the backseat about the workers and machines, I also pointed out the safety aspects of the work zone.

While I didn’t bore – or tried not to bore – them too much with information about the dangers of working in and driving through a work zone, I hope they remember the importance of the orange barrels and concrete barriers that are synonymous with construction work zones and will be mindful of workers doing their jobs to improve our roadways.

Because of TRIAD’s experience with clients in the heavy-highway, building and utility construction industries, we are very much indoctrinated about the importance of safety. We know that safety is more than just public-relations speak, such as “Safety First” and “Committed to Safety.”

Safety, for our clients, can be found in Ruscilli Construction Companies core values E4 Safety Professionals training programs and in their award-winning education programs.

The nature of construction means safety is paramount in everyday activities – as proven by weekly safety talks, it’s also more and more becoming “good business.” Being safe on the jobsite lowers the cost of doing business – as injuries to workers and to the public can result in lawsuits, medical time off and slower construction; not to mention, safety violations are expensive and can have ill effects on the company’s bonding and insurance. Our clients understand that a good safety record is a selling tool and makes them more appealing to the project owner.

Team Fishel, a client of TRIAD for over 35 years, has taken safety and made it into an incentive program. They consider safety to be a profit center; what it doesn’t spend in accident recovery, it puts back in the employees’ profit sharing plan. TRIAD recently worked with Team Fishel in creating materials for its Accident-Free Awards Program, which provides employee incentives ranging from a coffee mug to a big-screen HDTV for accident-free work.

For our clients, safety is not only a way of doing business it’s also truly a way of life.