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Harkins Coins a Safety Commitment

By Corporate Safety Director Bob Walsh

Keeping safety “top of mind” is important in our industry. For Harkins, the challenge is heightened as our employees are involved in large projects and spread across more than 35 jobsites in six states. In an effort to provide special recognition for employees who exemplify safe work habits and a commitment to safety above and beyond one’s normal activities, Harkins has created a Safety Commitment Coin program. Custom raised metal coins were created with the Harkins logo on them along with the saying “Safety Starts with Me.”

This program was put into effect January 1, 2019. The coins will be given out selectively to identify and recognize those employees who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to a safe work environment. Employees will be awarded the coin based on the following criteria:

  • Action: An employee who performs a distinguished act that aids, averts, or assists during a hazardous situation
  • Prevention: An employee who prevents hazardous conditions and/or promotes safer work conditions
  • Innovation: An employee who proposes or improves the safety of an operation
  • Leadership: An employee who exhibits exceptional safety leadership in a specific situation or an exceptional record of long-term safety leadership

The first two coins were awarded on January 11, 2019 to Site Manager Drew Dunsten (top left) and Project Engineer Austin Achenbach (top right). Both are currently working on The Apex Apartment project in Arlington, VA. The job was found to have outstanding safety signage and literature on a monthly safety walk. Fall prevention signs were strategically placed every ten feet around the perimeter of the large excavation, along with numerous warning signs at the egress in and out of the site. The safe work practices and continuous responsibility for teammates and our subcontractors is what set this job apart from others.

When asked about being the first recipients of the coin, Project Engineer Austin Achenbach said, “I was honored and it felt good to be recognized for the added effort and hard work, especially on something as important as safety.” Site Manager Drew Dunsten went on to say that “It is important that all workers are aware of the hazards and that we have an effective safety program in place. I am grateful to be recognized for making safety a priority.”

When an employee is awarded a coin, they can exchange it for a branded Harkins apparel item. We hope that the new Safety Commitment Coin program will be a good investment in raising safety awareness. Our heightened awareness will pay dividends for the employees of Harkins, the clients we serve, and the subcontractors on our projects.