Commercial roofing is inherently dangerous. From the heights of buildings to the unusual slopes to the materials and tools, employees can be at risk of injury even during the most basic project. This makes employee safety of paramount importance. That is why Texas Mutual Insurance made the decision to award their large customers who take safety seriously and make it a priority within their companies.
Austin-based Texas Mutual Insurance Company is the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance, with approximately 38 percent of the market. Since 1991, the company has provided a stable, competitively priced source of workers’ comp insurance for Texas employers. Helping employers prevent workplace accidents is a major part of Texas Mutual’s mission.
In 2007, Texas Mutual began issuing awards for safety to customers who had significantly reduced or eliminated workplace accidents. This year, 200 customers of the 57,000 total received one of the safety awards, with KPOST Company being among those recipients.
“We are honored to be one of the recipients of this safety award. It is particularly important to us because it is presented by our insurance carrier, who knows our claim history, what kind of claims we have had and that we have invested heavily in a solid safety program,” said Jayne Williams, KPOST Company CFO and Safety Officer. “Their acknowledgement means a lot.”
Safety Starts at the Top
To be a recipient of the Texas Mutual safety award requires more than just a good safety record. It requires commitment from senior executives and the organization’s team to create and maintain a safety program.
“Management commitment is the foundation of any great safety program. Everyone in the company, from the president to the front line supervisors should be involved in the process. It is important to provide employees the tools and training they need to do their job safely and to lead by example,” said Jeremiah Bentley, Senior Manager of Corporate Communication for Texas Mutual Insurance.
Only 3% of the Texas Mutual large account customers receive the safety award, making it an important distinction among the customer community. KPOST Company has the privilege of winning the award for the last three years consecutively out of the four years they have been a Texas Mutual customer. How? By making the safety program a priority.
“Our safety program is successful because we ensure each employee fully understands the program is about him or her. We make it personal and go the extra mile to let our teams know that we want them to go home safe at night,” said Williams.
KPOST instills a culture of safety not only through the creation of strong safety initiatives, but also by sticking to their guns. The company has a zero tolerance program when it comes to safety, ensuring that the only employees who go to work are those who can do so in a safe manner. By understanding the culture of the employees, the KPOST safety team can connect and engage them through safety meetings and assimilating an understanding of the importance of safety on the job.
“On site meetings with foreman and crew members are one of the pivot points where I discuss not just the technical side of a related topic, but the importance of the right behavior as it relates to their safety and health,” said Luciano Perez, KPOST Safety Manager and Compliance Safety and Health Official (CSHO). “There is a family behind each employee. Therefore, maintaining their focus and applying the knowledge on a given task is paramount so they can go home safe at the end of each day.”
Empower, connect and value the employee as part of the KPOST family are major elements for the function of a safety program.
“KPOST has an excellent safety program that is supported by top management. Luciano and Jayne are obviously very proactive in implementing the program and process for the operations. Top management supports it. Then it’s driven down effectively,” said Greg Easley, Loss Prevention, Texas Mutual Insurance.
Receiving the Texas Mutual Insurance Safety Award is important to KPOST Company leaders and team members because it is recognition as one of the industry leaders in North Texas and shows they care, value and respect their employees.
“The award is a scorecard for the great performance that our team and everyone has done to make safety a priority,” said Steve Little, KPOST President. “The program is about people’s lives and drives home the focus Jayne, Luciano and the whole team has placed on establishing a culture of getting all of our boys home safely every night.”
