The insurance industry has recognised the dramatic transformation in the safety record of US rental giant Essex Crane Rental, which has seen it transformed from one of the worst offenders to one of the best performers.
Essex admits that four years ago it had ‘a lost time occurrence rate that was well above industry levels’. In 2003 it did not have a single lost time incident, making it the most dramatic improvement its insurance company had ever seen. Essex repeated this feat in 2004 (at time of writing on 7 December), and Essex runs a fleet of approximately 380 large crawler cranes.
Betty Ezzell, territory manager for Amerisure Insurance, which specialises in worker compensation programs, said: ‘Job site safety and low loss ratios require continuous attention to detail and Essex Crane Rental has proven that through concentration on work safety, management and training, you can accomplish this goal. The improvements made by Essex were the best I’ve seen from a company in such a short time period.’
When Essex was taken over by venture capitalists in 2000, the new management team was determined to change a safety record that they considered to be unacceptable. The senior management, headed by former Manitowoc general manager Ron Schad, set about creating a culture where safety was encouraged, demanded and rewarded.
This safety programme included weekly toolbox meetings and hands-on training that encompassed all areas of workers activities, from ladder safety to heat stress. The company says that through this process it found many ways to improve how jobs were done. Safety awareness training was followed up with strict enforcement of all safety procedures and rules. A financial reward programme was introduced, equally compensating all employees if certain safety goals are achieved. For going a year without any lost time incidents, every employee got a $950 bonus.
Essex’s safety manager, Bruce Johnson, said that the programme ‘provides both the carrot and the stick needed to engage everyone’s full attention. Working safe at Essex is required not optional.’
