Dean Snyder Construction believes that a safe work environment is essential to the success of a project and to that end, actively promotes training for all employees. Our employees are required to participate in OSHA 10-hour training as well as periodic company-wide seminars. They also attend weekly safety discussions on the job sites. In situations where our customer’s employees are present, we take extra efforts through safety controls and good communication practices to ensure that these employees are able to continue to do their jobs while we work around them.
Dean Snyder Construction relies on an established safety program which includes:
- Full-time field safety coordinator
- Responsible hiring practices (drug screening, background checks)
- Experienced superintendents with responsibility for job site safety
- Required use of personal protective equipment
- Tools and equipment that are well maintained and appropriate for the task
- Management support and emphasis on accident prevention and safe work practices
Our Field Safety Coordinator, Russ DeFord, is an invaluable resource for our superintendents, who can turn to him to ensure OSHA-compliant safety systems in dynamic work environments. Russ has completed the Safety and Risk Management Academy through Master Builders of Iowa and Iowa State University, and was awarded the 2018 Safety Professional of the Year award at the Master Builders of Iowa Annual Winter Conference.
Russ conducts training for field staff, including proper forklift and skid steer use and fall protection. He also visits each job site on a regular basis and any reports are individually discussed with the on-site superintendent and forwarded to the project manager, human resources manager and DSC owners. As an added level of transparency, DSC also contracts with a third-party inspector to make unannounced job site safety visits.
Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Manager
Our EHS Manager, Dale Erickson, enhances our safety efforts with more behind the scenes safety, and as additional resource in the field who has over 15 years in Construction Safety and an additional 9 years prior to that of safety in manufacturing and industrial environments. Dale conducts training for DSC employees and staff and is an authorized trainer for OSHA 10 & 30 in Construction and General Industry. In addition, he is a Certified First Aid/CPR/AED trainer, and an authorized Rigging Trainer through The Crosby Group.
WORKSAFE
DSC partners with the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Iowa OSHA) and Construction Safety Specialists, Inc. to have job sites recognized as WORKSAFE. WORKSAFE is a construction job site safety program that consists of pre-construction planning, job site surveys focused on preventing hazardous conditions from occurring and job site recognition that safety is a top priority for all involved in the project.
We work closely with our insurance company and our association with Master Builders of Iowa to implement proper procedures and encourage compliance through random safety audits on our job sites. Our Safety Incentive Program rewards our workers for consistently performing various safety activities and exhibiting awareness at all times.
Our safety program exceeds all state and federal requirements. We have an excellent safety record, and we continually make improvements where needed so our employees have the safest possible working environment.