Our work is big, complex, and often involves construction on, in, or around actively operating infrastructure.
Our health and safety programs have been custom-built from the ground up to address this unique industry, incorporating risk identification and avoidance not only for the task at hand, but also for the surrounding activities, ongoing operations, and potential changes. Such “situational awareness” is a key element of our hazard training program and is continually reinforced through
task-specific planning sessions and crew huddles. Although we are proud of our track record - including incident rates that are well below the national averages - Ulliman Schutte continues to develop and refine our practices and policies to further improve, helping set the standard for safety in our industry.
We are privileged to build critically-important infrastructure – but it is just as critical that we ensure the safety of those who build it. This safety requires the commitment and cooperation of the entire team. Together, we implement a comprehensive risk elimination program in which every member is empowered to recognize and eliminate hazards of all types. It is my responsibility as a company leader to ensure that everyone in our organization embraces this philosophy with every task, every day."
Matthew Schutte, President
Comprehensive Training
Being able to recognize risks is the first step in avoiding or eliminating them. Instilling this ability within our workforce is the focus of our safety training programs. In addition to initial employee orientation training, each worker completes project orientation training, task-specific safety training, and hazard-specific safety training for fall protection, excavation safety, electrical hazards, ladder and scaffolding safety, and other common risks. This training is augmented by daily crew huddles, weekly toolbox talks, and special task planning meetings for unusual or unique activities.
Collaborating for Safety Success
Well over 90% of Ulliman Schutte’s projects involve modifications or renovations of existing infrastructure, necessitating risk management not only for our work, but for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the facilities and processes we are working within and around. Projects which occur “outside the fence” – such as pipe rehabilitations below busy city streets – require additional considerations to ensure the safety of the public. For these reasons, our project-specific safety programs are developed in full collaboration with our clients, design partners, and other stakeholders. By pooling the concerns and ideas of everyone involved, we develop a comprehensive and effective plan tailored to the unique risks of each project.
A Track Record of Results
Ulliman Schutte continually monitors our safety success in real-time using several metrics. Although we celebrate our successes – such as recently passing 2,000,000 hours worked without a lost time accident – we are always striving to improve. Through industry gatherings, peer group meetings, and internal brainstorming sessions, we are continually sharing and gathering ideas for new practices and policies that are aimed toward further driving down risks. In this manner, we continue to not only ensure safer, more productive worksites, but we also contribute to making the construction industry itself more safe and productive.
