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The management of Chapman Corporation is committed to the concept of Zero-Injury. We believe all accidents are preventable. We, therefore, are dedicated to providing a safe and healthful work environment for all our employees. This is achieved utilizing a "Step Change to Create a Zero-Injury Culture." The success of the Zero-Injury Safety and Health Program depends upon the involvement of every single employee.
Our Safety Program is actively maintained by full-time Safety Director R. Gene Chapman. Chapman's excellent safety record for over 65 years can be clearly attributed to its stringent accident prevention program. The Safety Program was custom-designed to provide a healthy work environment for our employees and those of our clients as well as to minimize the risk of human and economic losses which result in personal injury and property damage.
The company is responsible for employee compliance with all statutes specified in Federal and State Occupational Safety Acts (OSHA) through a plan that includes safety orientations, handbooks, bulletins, newsletters, meetings, surveys, reviews, personal protective equipment and site inspections.
Safety on the job site commences before the start-up of a project. Chapman's Safety Director works closely with client safety departments to assure that their regulations are strictly enforced. A pre-job safety survey is conducted by the project manager, superintendent and safety director when there is a need to develop formal, written safe work practices for unusual conditions or special hazards. Emergency numbers for ambulances, hospitals and doctors are posted in every trailer where there is a first aid kit as well as safety posters pertaining to specific work practices.
New employees are informed at an orientation meeting of their responsibilities in regard to safety with a special emphasis on the particular type of work to be performed and any special hazards. The employee is assigned a safety handbook and required to read it as well as sign a certification acknowledging receipt of it. Additionally, there are safety bulletins issued on an ongoing basis as well as quarterly newsletters to further stress the importance of safety to employees and field supervision.
The handbook contains a general code of safe practices and operations; lifting and material handling; the use of tools, machinery and equipment; mobile equipment and vehicles; guylines, loadlines and slings; and personal protective equipment. It also includes helpful first aid recommendations in cases of non-breathing, severe bleeding, heart attack and unconsciousness.
Certain construction processes performed at various job sites require the use of personal protective equipment when working with hazardous materials. Chapman has implemented Respiratory Protection, Equipment Grounding and Hazard Communication Programs to maintain sites that are free from health hazards.
Safety review meetings are an integral part of the safety program. As part of the weekly construction meetings, safety issues are discussed to instruct employees of unsafe acts or conditions that have been observed which require corrective action. Each accident that has occurred on the site is reviewed with a special emphasis on prevention.
Chapman's full-time safety director makes periodic visits to inspect site conditions, observe construction procedures and ensure compliance with the program. Employees also have a share of the responsibility for safety. Each employee is responsible for their own safety, the safety of their fellow workers and the general public. In all instances where conditions are not covered by the safety program or the assignment is not completely understood, the employee is instructed to obtain specific instructions from their supervisor before proceeding.
Ignorance of a minimum standard for safety is not accepted as an excuse for its violation. Violation of a safety instruction or rule may be followed by disciplinary action (warning, separation or termination) even if the infraction did not result in an injury.
Chapman has not had a fatality throughout the history of the company. This successful safety record is the result of cooperation between Chapman, the client and their employees. Accident prevention is one of the most important elements of any construction project. And, at Chapman, safety is a tradition.
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