Sponsored by the National Safety Council (NSC) and held every June, National Safety Month is an opportunity for organizations and individuals to focus on preventing unnecessary injuries and deaths at work, on the roads, in our homes and our communities. This year’s theme is No One Gets Hurt, and supporters nationwide are encouraged to make one change in their lives that can improve safety.
So, why does U.S. Water celebrate National Safety Month? In our organization, we have more than 200 delivery, sales and technician employees on the road every day across the country, collectively averaging 700 million miles each year. These same employees are supporting over 4,900 customers in a variety of customer environments. In our 7 United States offices, we have employees manufacturing industrial-sized equipment, blending a variety of chemicals, and providing administrative support. The daily challenges of the job vary by region, role and customer, and it is our everyday goal to ensure each one of our employees return home at the end of the day, in the same condition in which they arrived to work.
Safety is at the core of U.S. Water’s culture, and demonstrated by our daily actions and intentions. As industry risks and regulations change, we continue to develop a comprehensive, behavior based safety program that includes a proactive approach to risk identification and correction, personal ownership of safety, easily accessible tools and resources, and visible engagement by top management. We empower our employees to stop work if they feel unsafe and not to resume until all involved are comfortable and all risks identified in the job hazard analysis are mitigated, and our weekly employee communications include general safety topics and practices that can also be implemented at home. We believe it is important to celebrate safety successes, and recognize those who have gone above and beyond to practice safety daily.
We also understand the value safety brings to our customers. Many of our customers are placing much greater emphasis on the safety performance of a contractor and are performing in-depth reviews of our company’s safety program, beyond incident rates, just to be considered for business. These in-depth reviews look for the existence of certain programs, metrics, and the safety program’s identification of leading indicators as well as the existence of proactive reporting such as a good catch system. We must also consider the environmental safety requirements surrounding the sustainability goals of our customers. Reducing the consumption of fresh water resources and the development of greener chemistries is the foundation of our technology development efforts.
U.S. Water believes one injury, is one too many, so this month and throughout the year, we will continue to celebrate safety. Visit the National Safety Council website to learn how you can prevent unnecessary injuries and death, and find ideas to celebrate this year’s National Safety Month at your organization.
Our Commitment to Safety, Each and Every Day
