Environmental, Health & Safety
The Herman Goldner Company safety program has four key elements:
1. Management Commitment
2. Hazard Identification and Correction
3. Education and Training
4. Employee Involvement
To further these four elements the Herman Goldner Company Safety Program includes:
• Active Safety Committee »
Monthly safety meetings are conducted by executive management and attended by staff and field representatives. Herman Goldner, the CEO of the Company, attends and participates in these monthly meetings. Incidents, hazards, recognizing employees who contributed to the safety efforts in the field, and training needs are among the topics addressed each month.
• Safety Observation Sighting (SOS) Program
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The Herman Goldner Company SOS program is a formal procedure where personnel report substandard or noteworthy field conditions affecting employee safety and health to both the site and the Herman Goldner Company management so that prompt corrective action can be taken. Employees are recognized for participating in the program and personally addressing safety hazards by being awarded cash rewards between $25.00 and $100.00 for SOS reports.
• Weekly Safety Training
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Safety toolbox talks are conducted every week at every construction job site, using training and information materials prepared for the mechanical trades. The Company uses toolbox talks specific to mechanical trades. In addition, the Herman Goldner Company has implemented a web-based safety training program for those employees, such as Service Technicians, who do not routinely work at a fixed site. Employee attendance is mandatory, documented, and periodically reviewed.
Safety Orientation
Every new employee receives an orientation to the Company policies and procedures and a copy of the Safety Handbook produced by the Mechanical Contractors’ Association. These handbooks review of safety and health issues specific to the mechanical trades and contain more than 50 topics and more than 40 color graphics for pipefitting, plumbing and HVAC service work. Company drivers are also provided with a drivers manual of rules and regulations pertaining to the use of company vehicles.
• Specialized Training
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The Herman Goldner Company schedules specialized safety training so employees can safely perform their jobs. Examples of such training programs include Lockout Tagout, First Aid and CPR, OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour Outreach Programs, Signal Person Training, Arc Flash Protection, Trenching and Excavation, Forklift Truck Operator, Scaffold Competent Person, and Fall Protection Training. The Herman Goldner Company’s policy is to staff every job with professional mechanical tradesmen who are fully versed in identifying hazards and empowered to correct unsafe conditions that could impact its employees, customers and the general public.
• Personal Protective Equipment
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Safety glasses and hard hats are standard issue for every Herman Goldner Company employee. Every manager and the Company Owner model the expected behavior by wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment on every job site visit. Infractions, should they occur, are promptly addressed. Every foreman and project manager is authorized to purchase whatever personal protective equipment he or she believes is needed to complete the work safely.
• Safety Equipment
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The Herman Goldner Company provides a selection of quality safety equipment to its jobsites so every journeyman and apprentice has the equipment needed to perform their work safely. This equipment includes Type IA fiberglass ladders, harnesses and associated fall protection equipment, scaffolds and scaffold planking that meets OSHA requirements, confined space meters and rescue equipment, certified welding machines, and electric shock and arc flash protection clothing and the appropriate level electrical meters for Service Technicians.
• Health Control
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Hexavalent Chromium Exposure. The Herman Goldner Company has performed air sampling and evaluates its stainless steel welding operations to ensure that airborne concentrations do not exceed the OSHA limits.
• Written Program
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The Herman Goldner Company has written safety and health policies and procedures developed with loss control professionals and the Company management. These policies and procedures are periodically reviewed for accuracy and completeness and updated as needed. Site-specific written plans are developed as needed to address certain tasks such as lockout and system turnover to the site owner, critical crane lifts, and fall protection plans.
• Safety Award Program
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The Herman Goldner Company monitors field safety performance on a monthly basis and randomly selects field personnel from qualified employees to receive cash recognition rewards of up to $2,000, each month. Employees who fail to follow company safety policies and procedures are not included in the drawing. The purpose of the Safety Award Program is to help maintain a high awareness by field personnel for safety on the job, on the highway and in the fabrication shops.
• Site Inspections
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The Herman Goldner Company Foremen inspect their worksites daily. The Company uses a safety engineer to periodically perform comprehensive inspections that include site conditions and work practices, job safety planning, site safety management, and employee training. These inspection reports are distributed to the management team and reviewed during the monthly safety committee meetings to ensure safe conditions are maintained in all Herman Goldner Company operations.
• Job Safety Planning
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Safety and health is included in construction focus meetings, project turnover meetings, and project bid proposals to eliminate or mitigate hazards associated with Herman Goldner Company work. Site-specific safety plans are prepared for certain operations as needed. Examples of where site-specific safety plans may be prepared include critical crane lifts, fall protection plans, confined space entry, and hot work operations.
• Analysis of Safety Performance
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The Herman Goldner Company prepares monthly and annual analyses of incidents, injuries and SOS reports that are reviewed by management and the safety committee. The purpose of this analysis is to identify any area of concern before an injury results and to recognize employee performance. The Herman Goldner Company’s mandatory policy of wearing of safety glasses on company lanyards is an example of a safety program that resulted from an analysis of incidents.
