Safety
At Mass. Electric, safety is the priority. Our unrelenting focus on safety means a better work environment for our employees and increased productivity and cost savings for our customers. Our EMR for 2008 is 0.58, well below the industry average.
The following are just a few steps MEC takes to ensure the highest level of safety:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
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All employees are required to wear the appropriate PPE for every step of a project and also wear safety gloves at all times.
Our glove policy is based on many case studies and hours of investigation. After looking into the high number of laceration incidents, we began requiring all workers to wear gloves 100% of the time while on the job. We've since improved our policy by adding more comfortable, easier to wear gloves and included Kevlar sleeves on our required PPE list.
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- Recognize, Eliminate and Document (RED) Book
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Over 90% of accidents are caused by unsafe acts. The RED book is a program designed to eliminate unsafe acts by asking employees to identify the hazards they feel can hurt them. By recognizing these hazards in advance, we are less likely to experience accidents.
The RED book was an idea developed by a Mass. Electric employee, and the company Safety Manager worked with them to make it a reality. Now all employees maintain a personal RED book.
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- Hazard Analysis
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In conjunction with our work plans, the hazard analysis (HA) lists each task step-by-step and identifies the potential hazards and corrective actions. We have been writing hazard analyses for years, and recently updated our form to include sections titled "What's the Worst That Can Happen," "Fall Protection Plan" and "Safety Checklist," as well as pictures to illustrate the steps. Kept on site, the HA is continuously modified as work changes.
The "Green Book" is a handheld, pocket-sized guide containing HAs foremen can use to identify risks associated with tasks considered less hazardous than those with an involved work plan.
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- Meetings and Trainings
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With daily two-minute reminders, weekly toolbox talks and a monthly Area Safety Meeting, all employees receive the same information about safety, quality and production.
MEC conducts training sessions throughout the year, during which we have breakout sessions that focus on all aspects of our work, including safety. We also address safety during a two-day District Meeting which brings together employees from all over the country.
In addition to providing ongoing training to identify the need and proper use of special equipment like respirators, fall protection, forklifts, bucket trucks, manlifts, and rigging and hoisting equipment, Mass. Electric employees are offered courses in:
- NEFPA 70
- OSHA 10-Hour
- CPR
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- Accountability
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We firmly believe that if an employee is not adhering to MEC Safety Policy there will be repercussions. Our "Three Strike" program gives an employee three chances to correct an MEC policy violation.
However, we do not hesitate to implement our "ZERO Tolerance" program for major safety violations that endanger the lives of employees. We realize each case is different and work closely with our employees in an attempt to coach them through a problem.
Conversely, we reward employees who exemplify the MEC Safety Culture. We reward safe performance with incentives ranging from Carhartt jackets to 42-inch plasma TVs. In addition, MEC has a District-wide Foreman's Award program that recognizes outstanding performance by our foremen.
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