Safety Milestone and Congrats Garrett!

INDUSTRY LEADING IN ALL WE DO

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Employee Spotlight

Makayla Mecier

Administrative Assistant & Scale Attendant

Hometown:

Rutland, VT.

Family:

I have parents who love me...sometimes...

Pets:

I have a black cat named Jazz and a Golden Retriever named Kandi.

First Job:

Bussing tables and doing dishes at The Vermont Inn.

Favorite Color:

Purple/burgundy.

Dislikes:

SPIDERS...Yuck!

Pet Peeve:

People who chew...with their mouth open.

Guilty Pleasure:

Binge-watching Grey's Anatomy while drinking cheap wine.

Hobbies:

Photography, painting, hiking, camping, kayaking (basically anything outside)...does eating count?

Favorite Food:

Pancakes with VT maple syrup and fresh strawberries!

Best part about your job:

My co-workers :)

Who do you most look up to?

It's hard to choose only one person...but if I have to choose I'd go with my grandfather because he showed me how to color inside the lines.

Something everyone should know about you:

I am an only child.

Anything else you'd like to share?

I'm passionate about the environment and nutrition!

We Hit a Milestone!

100 Days Since Any Time Lost Due to Injuries

Friday, January 15, 2021 marked 100 consecutive days since an employee at Casella Construction missed any time due to an injury.

This surpasses the industry average for lost time due to an injury!

We are all aware that the potential for serious injury is always present in our industry. Milestones like this do not come without effort; safety is everyone's job.

Our Good Catch/Near Miss Program has been key in helping us to get to 100 days without time lost due to an injury.

A Near Miss is an event that has been recognized in which no employee is injured, or property damage is sustained, but could have given a slight change in variables. Below are a few Near Misses from the past 100 days that possibly could have caused lost time injuries:

An employee driving north on Route 7 reached the top of a hill as a plow truck was being passed by an 18-wheeler - leaving the employee with no place to go except to the shoulder to stop. Assessment of the situation, quick reaction time, and decision-making prevented a possible head-on collision.
A grinder equipped with a cutting wheel was being used for a task but a faulty safety spring trigger mechanism caused the employee to cut his glove. Proper PPE, knowledge, and good workplace practices prevented this from becoming an accident.
While traveling on Route 7, a car quickly pulled out in front of one of our tractors, causing the driver to lock the truck up and move to the breakdown lane to (just barely) avoid hitting the car. Distracted driving could have prevented the driver from being able to react as quickly as they did, which could have led to an accident instead of a Near Miss.

A Good Catch is the recognition by an employee of a situation or condition that had the potential to become an incident but did not due to corrective action taken and/or prompt intervention. Below are a few Good Catches from the past 100 days that may have prevented loss time injuries:

An excavator came up with a bucket of dirt on the blindside of a worker in the area. Rodney Watkins, an operator in the area, immediately recognized the potential for an accident and sounded his horn. Rodney's situational awareness and quick action prevented a potential injury to another employee.
While inspecting one of the hoses on a set of torches, Howard Biathrow noticed a bubble that had been caused by fatigue. This could have caused gas to leak from the hose and become susceptible to ignition which could cause injury to nearby employees. Howard removed the risk by tagging the hose out for repair, preventing it from being used in its unsafe condition.
A wooden beam was being removed from under the bridge deck when James Cain noticed another employee standing under beam. James made sure the employee got safely out of the way before proceeding to drop the beam. Through hazard identification, James prevented a possible severe head injury to a fellow employee.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a Good Catch/Near Miss.

These submissions help identify opportunities for additional safety measures, and help everyone learn from real-life experiences.

Please keep up the good work!

Congrats, Garrett!

December Good Catch Winner of the Month

While doing a cut and fill, Garrett Joly noticed an area with a steep drop-off, next to the neighbors lawn. Since the drop-off presented a risk that would be present during the first phase of the construction project, Garrett took it upon himself to put up caution tape around the area to warn people of the drop off.

Great work, Garret - thank you!

Garrett Joly (left) and Brian Rossier (right) maintain COVID-19 face covering protocols while Garrett is presented with his good catch of the month award!