For those of you who don’t know, Evergreen Metropolitan District is comprised of several departments and provides a whole host of indispensable services to its community. Given the robust nature of their operations, we were pleased to find that their district prizes safety above all else, including production. We believe that this is the reason behind the cooperative nature of their safety culture, in which all of their employees provide feedback without reticence and look out for each other on the job site, a district-wide buddy system as it were.
Below follows some of Evergreen Metro District’s commendable safety practices:
1) A safety committee to be reckoned with
Evergreen’s Safety Committee is composed of one member from each department, ensuring that all concerns and safety issues are heard and addressed by the organization as a whole. A committee member develops and coordinates a safety meeting every month, addressing topics that range from sun exposure safety and blood borne pathogens to applying tourniquets and changing tires for the winter season. The district also periodically invites outside experts to focus on niche safety issues or concerns, whether the occasion calls for it or for their own collective edification. In addition to organizing monthly meetings and hosting toolbox talks, committee members are responsible for conducting incident investigations. In order to ensure objectivity, committee members are forbidden from investigating incidences within their own respective departments.
2) A for accountability
Before any new task, no matter how seemingly simple, the district always commits an amount of time discussing the working process, safety considerations, and best practices involved. Evergreen doesn’t wait for an incident to happen; potential hazards are under constant review and discussion with the intention of preventing an incident from ever occurring. Additionally, the district utilizes hazard reports, a record keeping system that helps them address anything that may pose a risk. These hazard reports can be filled out anonymously or signed by anyone, and double-function as a historical reference for identifying and resolving safety issues. For example, if there is a broken safety chain somewhere onsite that has been repaired four times over, the district will have a historical record to refer to and can move to replace the safety chain immediately rather than waiting to address it at the next meeting.
3) Liberté, égalité, safety!
Evergreen Metro District has no compunctions about making its commitment safety known to everyone, including new hires. Safety is inextricably tied to their orientation process, and all employees are taught from the very start that anyone, no matter their position, has the authority to stop any unsafe work they encounter. Everyone actively contributes and participates in the district’s safety culture, and this collective approach has fostered a unique rapport between coworkers. It isn’t uncommon to find fellow Evergreen employees going the extra distance to help one another.
These are just some of the methods Evergreen Metropolitan District employs in their ongoing commitment to safety. We hope their best practices and experiences resonate with our readers, and perhaps, even inspire you to incorporate something similar in your own safety committee.
About Evergreen Metropolitan District
Created in February of 1979, Evergreen Metropolitan District was the result of a merger between the Public Service Company of Colorado and the Evergreen Sanitation District, the latter having been formed in 1948. You can learn more about the district and their services at evergreenmetrodistrict.com.
