Alabama Construction News is the states only bimonthly magazine dedicated to the commercial construction industry.
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safest decision is or don't feel confident in making the decision alone. This program provides tools to help supervisors make safe decisions and provides them the added confidence in making them. This enables our supervisors to be the passionate leaders we need across all projects. As the employer, we can rest in the assurance that the supervisor's ability to make sound and safe decisions is tested." To make the process easier on employees, Eldeco sponsors the program so that the company can manage employees' certifications, renewals and continuing education information. BCSP is known as a leader in credentialing safety practitioners and states its mission is to set and certify "technical competency criteria for safety, health and environmental practitioners worldwide; enhancing careers, advancing the profession, protecting the public." Among its many offerings is the Safety Trained Supervisor Construction (STSC) certification. The STSC certification specifically targets construction supervisors or similar level employees who are responsible for maintaining safe conditions on a construction job site. Safety might not be the primary duty of these employees, but they must have knowledge of practical safety standards and practices to ensure a safe job site. "As a safety professional, participating in something like this is very common," said Eldeco's Executive Director of Safety Corey Arledge. "The construction-focused certification for our supervisors and future leaders is a great path for professional development, which in construction is often overlooked." Eldeco's management team turned to BCSP when it decided a couple of years ago that they wanted to find a way to significantly improve their supervisor training and skill sets. "We were looking for training different than just the traditional approach of OSHA 10 or 30 Hour," said Arledge. "While those courses are great building blocks, the BCSP program is designed so that the employer can be confident a supervisor knows how to make the safest decisions for its employees while building their confidence in the knowledge of safety." To become certified, Eldeco employees must meet certain prerequisites, one of which is to have accumulated a minimum of 30 hours of training. In addition to helping them obtain the minimum hours of training, the company provides study guides to prepare for the test, a sit-down exam that is handled through an accredited testing agency. "One of the best things about the exam is that it asks questions about decision making in the field from a practical standpoint," Arledge added. "That's a problem our industry faces sometimes; supervisors don't always what the For more than 40 years, Eldeco has focused on providing quality electrical design and construction in a safe working environment. That commitment to employee safety has led to the company's newest safety initiative, a partnership with the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP), which aims to take supervisor training to the next level. by PAIGE TOWNLEY Reduction in injuries company-wide Reduction in accident severity rating since 2015 of Eldeco's new employees were able to work injury-free decrease in overall workers compensation claims cost of work hours that increased while decreasing incidents per hour worked 3 1 3 2 9 5 5 0 1 5 44 AL CONSTRUCTION NEWS JAN-MAR 2017 SAFETY AS A VALUE P E R F O R M A N C E