Leading the Way in Safety Innovation One of Region II’s VPP participants, Evans Roofing Company, won the First Annual Safety Innovation of the Year Award at the Western New York Safety Conference on March 19, 2015 in Niagara Falls, New York.
Conference attendees were encouraged to submit their safety innovations prior to the conference. The top four candidates were selected to give a 25-minute presentation on their innovation at the conference, and the winner was voted on by all of the conference attendees.
Mr. Dan Nowak made the presentation for Evans Roofing Company. Some of the safety innovations and best practices at Evans include: all safety and health information on electronic tablets; fall protection equipment inspection tags ( QR2-Code) for accountability; project specific fall/rescue plans; fall protection equipment inspection checklists (weather-resistant punch cards); a new-hire mentoring program; and a ladder repair program with an outside vendor.
The award was presented by Mr. Gerry Bogacz, President of the Board of Directors for the WNY Safety Conference. The company received a glass plaque award as well as an Albert Einstein painting that was completed at the conference by the key note speaker, internationally recognized graffiti artist, author, and entrepreneur Mr. Erik Wahl. The way the painting was painted was something to see - he painted the portrait in front of the audience at the conference opening in approximately two minutes and it was painted upside down.
Evans Roofing Company, Inc. is a commercial roofing and wall panel contractor located in upstate New York. Evans Roofing Company, Inc. has two subsidiary companies; Charles F. Evans Company, Inc. (union) and CFE Inc. (non-union). Both companies achieved VPP Star status in 2012 as VPP Mobile Workforce participants. These two companies are the only roofing companies in the United States to achieve this honor. Roofing is the sixth most dangerous profession in the country, and with that comes daily challenges with existing and predictable hazards. Evans decided back in 1990 to commit to a formal Total Quality Management (TQM) program where safety is one of three core values. This led to a paradigm change to how safety is performed on their projects. Today, a fully-staffed EH&S Department drives this comprehensive safety and health program, offering education and training backed with encouragement and guidance.