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"Our workers' safety and health have been priorities for Overaa Construction since the company was founded over 100 years ago."
- Jerry Overaa, CEO
On every Overaa project, safety comes first.
Overaa’s Safety Program demonstrates our commitment to Safety and Health. Recently, we were invited by Cal/OSHA as 1 of only 11 contractors in California to participate in the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) for the construction industry. We are proud to be recognized as a leader in the construction industry for worker safety and health.
This is a tremendous accomplishment when you consider how much work Overaa self-performs each year. It is not unusual for Overaa to self-perform in excess of 100,000 manhours of work on a single significant project or to self-perform as much as 700,000 manhours company-wide over the course of a year.
California Voluntary Protection Program (Cal/VPP)
"VPP...means Vision, Purpose and Passion. Your management team has the Vision for success in safety, your entire company demonstrates the Purpose for success and Passion to progress."
- Michael Alvarez, Cal/OSHA Consultation Regional Manager
Cal/VPP emphasizes the importance of site-specific occupational safety and health programs and encourages their improvement. The Division provides recognition to those sites whose programs have achieved occupational safety and health excellence.
Cal/VPP is designed to recognize safety and health systems that effectively prevent and control occupational hazards. These systems for protection of workers go above and beyond minimal compliance with Cal/OSHA Title 8 Standards.
Rather than a punitive enforcement approach, this program is designed to be positive and collaborative using the best practices of Overaa and Cal/OSHA.
Overaa’s acceptance in the Cal/VPP indicates that management and employees demonstrated that, collectively, we are committed and involved in maintaining the safety and health system. As a result, we will be expected to have significantly lower risks for accidents.
Safety Statistics
Our EMR 3 Year Average is .83. Recently, Overaa worked more than 3 1/2 years at the Conoco Refinery with no recordable accidents. Since applying for and receiving VPP status on June 19, 2007, our incident rate has gone down and 2008 has proven to be our best year ever. We are well below the TRIR criteria of 1.5.
Overview of Safety Program
Overaa’s on-site Safety Program can be summarized in the following points:
• Overaa has five full-time safety coordinators.
• The superintendent leads weekly onsite safety meetings. We will
continue to improve them by submitting “Safety Flashes” Concerning
past injuries and establish “Root Cause Analysis.
• Upon hiring, our employees receive safety orientation and information
regarding Hazard Communications Program and are required to sign a
form acknowledging the information.
• Overaa holds site-specific safety planning meetings. Overaa also
informs workers as they come onboard.
• Overaa has a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP).
• Overaa has a written safety program that meets or
exceeds CAL/OSHA requirements.
• Full time contract safety representatives are hired as needed on job
sites to fulfill this requirement.
Safety Award & Incentive Program
We have learned that positive reinforcement through incentives can play a big part in the success of our safety program. Safety performance is factored into every superintendent’s project bonuses. In addition, our job-specific incentive program is customized to fit the project tasks and duration. We track results through regular meetings; foremen are held accountable for each incident at the jobsite. Prizes and team building incentives include:
• T-shirts, cash, gift certificates and gifts are regularly awarded.
• Team building events are used to celebrate job safety
• Diamond belt buckles are awarded annually at Overaa’s company picnic to
those working more than 1500 man-hours without an injury.
• Each employee receives monthly rewards for working safely.
• Safety performance is a consideration in project bonuses.
Safety Training
Safety training for project management, superintendents, foremen, and craft personnel is provided on site and at headquarters training facilities by our safety personnel or outside experts. Topics are tailored to Cal/OSHA regulations, job site task, client requirements and related tasks. (Also available in Spanish)
• All project managers receive 4 hours of safety training.
• All superintendents and foremen are authorized to enforce our safety policy
and procedures. Their training includes:
10 hour OSHA
CPR and First Aid
Competent person:
o Excavation
o Scaffolding
o Fall protection
o Confined space
• All carpenters and laborers receive safety training required by Cal/OSHA and
the client.
• All employees working in refineries receive 8 hours of contractor orientation.
Our Obligation
At Overaa, we realize that as a recognized leader by government and industry professionals, our commitment to health and safety doesn’t stop here. It is an ongoing process to actively improve on the current standards. Upon receiving VPP status, our obligation is to maintain our qualifications and high standard of safety and health at all company worksites - now and into the future.
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