Safety
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Think Safety. Work Safely.
Electricity is an important and integral part of our modern world and sometimes we forget how dangerous it can be; many people die or are seriously injured each year by electrical contact. Electricity can damage equipment and sensitive controls, it can also cause explosions and fires resulting in lost time for employees and loss of productivity for employers.
When electricians work with electricity, they put themselves in danger with nearly every task they perform. NEI Electric has made a company-wide commitment to the safety of our electricians; our electricians are not only our employees, they are our friends and our family.
Our work comp experience mod is less than 1; this alone indicates that we operate a safe company. The elements of our safety program are: planning, training, evaluation, inspection and investigation.
Safety Planning
We believe in planning for prevention of injuries and accidents rather than waiting for the incident to occur and taking action at that point. Projecting potential hazards is done throughout all aspects of a project:
- Pre-Start Up Meetings - Prior to the start of a project, management and field personnel meet to discuss any special needs, tools or safety equipment that may be needed for that project.
- Daily Huddles & Tool Box Safety Meetings – Informal meetings are held on a daily basis to discuss the coming day’s work assignments and planning for safety. Weekly tool box safety meetings are held to communicate information or address hazards, including any accidents or near misses.
- Safety Committee Meetings – The safety committee is comprised of electricians, field supervisors, office administration staff and company management. The committee meets quarterly to review all accidents, near misses, project safety issues or problems. They discuss and establish needed safety policy changes, corrective actions for specific issues, determine safety equipment needs and set requirements for additional employee training. This group attempts to be predictive rather than reactive; possible hazards and planned control methods are considered for future work.
Safety Training
Safety training starts the first day an employee is hired by NEI Electric, safety awareness is stressed and every section of the company safety policy is reviewed with that new employee. Every field employee is given Personal Protection Equipment consisting of a hardhat, safety glasses, hearing projection and any project-specific equipment they may need before they report to the jobsite. Our company wide training program covers critical topics such as:
- CPR & First Aid
- Lock-out Tag-out
- NFPA 70E
- Fall Protection
- Lift Training
- OSHA 10 Hour
- Powder Actuated Tools
- Project Housekeeping
Safety Evaluation & Review
Larry Koenig is the Safety Director for NEI Electric. He works with field supervisors to review the safety performance on our projects and evaluates if proper procedures are being followed on an ongoing basis. For example, the safety director reviews reported use of lockout/tagout and NFPA 70E/arc-flash equipment on a weekly basis to verify that the proper equipment is being used based on the working conditions of that specific project.
Safety Inspection
A safety committee member performs a thorough inspection of each jobsite and company vehicles on a semi-annual basis or more frequent if necessary. They interview the on-site employees and review the status of all tools and equipment, the safety equipment and the safety procedures of each jobsite. The safety director communicates with the committee member and will also make jobsite inspections as needed.
Accident Investigation
If there is a jobsite injury, accident or near accident, the jobsite foreman conducts the initial investigation and prepares an incident report. All serious incidents are reported immediately to the safety director and company management, appropriate actions are taken as required. All incident reports, including actions taken and/or the results of the incident, are distributed and reviewed by the safety director and the safety committee members. The safety committee reviews every incident to look for corrective action or additional training that may be needed.