Safety Culture

 

Miller Bonded is committed to maintaining a solid safety record through company-wide efforts to create the safest work environment possible.

 

Miller Bonded Inc. (MBI) maintains a comprehensive safety program. We are committed to safety, quality and productivity in every aspect of our work.

MBI utilizes the Mechanical Contractors Association of NM (MCA) Safety Passport Program. A copy of our passport is available upon request. MBI is a member of MCA’s Workers’ Compensation Group Fund. The MCA Safety Committee meets monthly to ensure the highest safety standards for our membership as a whole, and MBI regularly attends these meetings.

MBI is currently a member of three OSHA Partnerships – we are members at the highest level within each Partnership:
ASA’s SHIP Partnership – Platinum Level Member
MCA’s SOARS Partnership– Eagle Level Member
AGC’s CHASE Partnership – Blue Level Member

Our Safety Director is active in and regularly attends the monthly meetings for each of these trade associations. Our participation reflects our cooperative partnership with OSHA to foster, maintain and improve the safety and health conditions and requirements for New Mexico’s commercial construction workers and workplaces. Our partnerships demonstrate our commitment to continually seeking better methods and technologies for reducing occupational injuries and illnesses by incorporating best practices and focusing on common job hazards; giving MBI special recognition by NM OSHA. MBI is recognized as a company that exceeds minimally acceptable safety standards by demonstrating a proactive approach to safety.

All MBI employees go through a safety orientation prior to beginning their on-the-job employment. Each employee is given a Safety Passport during orientation to read and keep in their immediate work area while in our employ. We also provide various training periodically for our employees.

MBI ushered in a new safety initiative in 2012, after our designated full time Safety Director resigned. Up to that point we generally had one serious injury and several minor yet recordable injuries every year. We looked at the last several years of records and found the frequency of the injuries and the fact that most, if not all, incidents were easily preventable. We maintained the Safety Director position, however, we took safety a step further and also developed an internal Safety Committee to audit, train and oversee our company safety initiatives in the field. Our goal was to create a culture in which safety was everybody’s responsibility, each and every day. Our Safety Committee is comprised of our Safety Director, all MBI Superintendents (representing each trade and each area of the company – Plumbing/Heating, Sheet Metal, Service, Special Projects, Pipe and Duct Fab shops and Electrical), and representatives from Safety Counselling. These designated Safety Representatives visit jobs on an (unannounced) weekly basis in the field and our shops to talk to our employees about the specific hazards on their job sites, educate on our safety culture, audit and ensure job site/shop safety. Members of the Emerging Leaders and Executive Committee are encouraged and welcome to attend job site visits along with the Safety Committee periodically.

MBI Safety Committee
Safety Committee Director: Margaret Karler, HR Manager/ Safety Support

Dedicated to the oversight of the company-wide safety program implementation, training and enforcement, as well as jobsite specific regulation and monitoring.

Safety Committee Designated Representatives:

Margaret Karler, HR Manager/Safety Support

Manny Ayala, Fabrication Superintendent

Matt Joosten, Operations Manager

Andrew Bonney, HVAC Superintendent 

Ron Nasci, Service Manager

Jose Molina, Plumbing/Piping Superintendent

Various Safety Counselling Representatives

This team is a convergence of the key people involved for each of our divisions. Each of them serves as a point of contact for the various ( field shop material handling) related entities. Furthermore, they aid in the safety programs implementation, training and enforcement as well as jobsite specific regulation and monitoring.

Safety Committee Designated Representative: Carey Carter, Safety Counselling Representative

This is a Miller Bonded Inc. dedicated, independent third party consultant whose focus is unbiased safety review (audits) on a daily, jobsite specific, basis. He works as a direct link for finding, documenting and reporting any safety concerns or cautions.

MBI’s Safety Committee actively investigates all accidents/injuries and near misses in an effort to improve our safety program and to determine Best Practices and lessons learned. Members of MBI’s Executive Committee and Emerging Leaders meet with the Safety Committee on a regular basis (at least every 90 days) to discuss our goals and initiatives, near misses, industry changes, etc. The Emerging Leaders and Safety Committee meet with every employee (as well as the employee’s supervisor) who incurs a recordable injury.

In short, MBI is strongly committed to the safety and the well being of each and every one of our employees.

Safety is a vital aspect of the construction industry and the highly-trained, award-winning Miller Bonded family puts forth every effort to ensure that all projects are completed without injury or accident. Within six months of joining the Miller Bonded family, field associates begin preparing to complete OSHA 30, CPR, First Aid and immediately sign a pledge to safety.

Miller Bonded employees are reminded of their pledge to safety with the Miller Bonded safety passport program. The program features customized safety manuals that accompany employees to every jobsite, empowering all employees to provide and maintain a safe working environment.

Miller Bonded Safety Awards:

2010 – CHASE Partnership BLUE Level (New Mexico OSHA &
Associated General Contractors of America of New Mexico Building Branch)

2009 – Certificate of commendation for Excellent Safety Record – Associated General Contractors

2008 – SMACNA Safety Excellence Award Program
1st Place
For lowest injury/illness in the 400,000 – 500,000 man-hour category

2007 – SMACNA Safety Excellence Award Program
3rd Place
For lowest injury/illness in the 400,000 – 500,000 man-hour category

2006 – National Safety Council Million Work Hour Award

Occupational Awards Program for Operating 1,000,000 employee hours without occupational injury or illness involving days away from work February 10, 2002 – April 17, 2006

2005 – Associated General Contractors Certificate of Commendation for Excellent Safety Record
Zero incidents rate – 50,000 work hours and over

2004 – Associated General Contractors Certificate of Commendation for Excellent Safety Record
Zero incidents rate – over 250,000 work hours and over

2004 – SMACNA Safety Statistics Evaluation and Awards Program
3rd Place
For lowest injury/illness in the 200,000 – 300,000 man-hour category

2002 –SMACNA Safety Statistics Evaluation and Awards Program
3rd Place
For lowest injury/illness in the 200,001 – 300,000 man-hour category

1999 – SMACNA Safety Statistics Evaluation and Awards Program
3rd Place
For lowest injury/illness in the 200,001 – 300,000 man-hour category