2024 Health & Safety Improvement Plan

2023 In Review:

Cleveland Integrity Services Safety Department is grateful to be ringing in the New Year with you!  There have been many changes in the Safety Department during 2023 – our biggest change being switching our Learning Management System (LMS) platform.  We are excited to share that our employees’ participation in increased with this system, with 61% of our field employees completing the safety courses! While we increased in user participation, we decreased in the number of near misses reported and we believe that to be due to the Newsletter not being presented in the LMS.  Please note that until the newsletter is published in the LMS, you are still able to use the QR code on the Target Zero hard hat sticker.

Cleveland Integrity continued our goal and mission of “Target Zero” throughout the year 2023.  The goal of a Target Zero initiative is to create an incident and injury-free work environment. While we’ve had the Target Zero: Arrive Safe.  Return Safe. Zero Injuries sticker and slogan for a few years, we believe this is an important initiative and want the ability to report near misses to be easy.  The QR code that was printed on our hardhat stickers is to help with just that – to easily report near misses, observations, first aid reports, and good catches. 

CIS’s goal of increased user participation and course completion was surpassed, however, our goal of Target Zero was not met – our company reported three recordable injuries, two of which involved slips, trips, and falls. Our largest near miss & incident trends of 2023 were motor vehicle incidents/driving hazards and slips, trips, and falls.

2024 Goals:

In 2024, we will continue our goal of Zero injuries.  We believe we can achieve this with your help!  While the goal of zero incidents in one year seems impossible, it is not improbable. At Cleveland Integrity, we hope to make a difference in our company this year by establishing safety goals that will stick – not only for this year but for the future. We believe that safety is a company-wide effort and can be accomplished with real, attainable goals and clear expectations. Outside sources for safety consulting, our online training resource, and cooperation from senior management are a few resources we have at our disposal to ensure we can reach these goals.

Major hurdles to overcome to achieve the goals of Cleveland Integrity will appear with the lack of cooperation from field employees. This is a team effort we are attempting to implement, and we need the collaboration of all employees. An understanding of the importance of safety training is critical to the reduction of incidents; therefore, employees must be fully involved in the training process.

Cooperation and personal commitment to safety are essential to the success of Cleveland Integrity. Together, we CAN prevent accidents and injuries, but we must work as a team every day to keep each other safe on our job sites and in our office.

What is your goal regarding safety for 2024?

Winter Weather Hazards
With driving hazards and slips, trips & falls being our top reported incidents and near misses, you must understand the additional hazards that working and driving in winter weather present.

If you are driving from job site to job site during the winter season, be aware of black ice.  Black ice is a clear glaze that forms on surfaces because of light freezing rain or because of the melting & refreezing of snow or ice.  It is especially dangerous to drivers because it looks like regular black pavement.

If you hit black ice while driving:

• Don’t hit your brakes, as this could cause your vehicle to slide.
• Keep your steering wheel straight or if you feel your car sliding, make a gentle turn in the same direction you feel your car sliding – you risk spinning out if you struggle against it by steering in the opposite direction.
• Ease off the gas pedal.
  • If you must brake, try to brake as little as possible.
  • If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS), place your foot firmly on the brake and the car will automatically pump the brake as you skid.
  • If you don’t have ABS, pump the brake lightly.
• If possible, shift the vehicle into a lower gear to gain control.
  A few precautions to stay safe during winter weather include avoiding using cruise control, checking the weather before you travel, and driving to the conditions of the road. Avoid using cruise control while driving in winter weather.  You may not have time to cancel the cruise control.  Braking to release the cruise control on slippery spots could make a bad situation worse.  Remember that bridges and overpasses freeze first and stay home if possible!
  When walking in winter weather, the ground is often wet and muddy from snow melting.  Be cautious while walking on the ROW, being mindful of mud build-up, as well as watching your step for changed terrain. 
• Discuss all slip hazards on your daily tailgate meetings and ensure they are on the JSA. 

• Reevaluate the job site throughout the day. 
• Consider the history of changes in the worksite. Does ice build up in predictable places? Where does snow melt when coming indoors to the job trailer?
• Wear appropriate footwear and traction aids, such as cleats. It is not always possible to remove all the snow and ice from walking/working surfaces in our line of work and for this reason, traction aids are a useful safe work practice. 
• Avoid distracted walking. Take time walking around the work site.
• When you identify a trouble spot, try to remedy the issue immediately and report it to your supervisor.
• Walk with your hands-free and wear proper winter gloves to help protect your hands from injury if a fall does occur.
• Maintain three-point contact when getting in and out of vehicles.
  If you do slip and fall, don’t be embarrassed!  Report the incident to your supervisor and the CIS Safety Director (even if it’s just a first aid!).  Your reporting could help prevent future slips, trips, or falls!

We are pleased to announce that we have partnered up with Boot Barn to offer inspectors a 15% discount on all purchases “work-related” from Boot Barn, Nation Wide. Be sure to tell them you work for Eagle Infrastrucrture Services/CIS and use the keyword: “Safety First” to receive the discount.