Annually, members apply for the ABC Mississippi Chapter Safety Awards and the ABC National STEP Safety Awards. The chapter safety awards program is designed to recognize those member companies that promote safety awareness. The ABC National STEP program is an excellent tool to measure safety effectiveness and we encourage all members to participate. On September 30, 2021, ABC Mississippi members gathered at our Annual Safety Awards Luncheon to recognize and congratulate their fellow safety professionals. Also recognized at this event was our 2021 ABC Mississippi Safety Professional of the Year, Gary Roberson from Century Construction Group, as well as our 2021 Rising Star Safety Award, going to William Sheehan from Edwards Electric.
CHAPTER SAFETY AWARDS
NATIONAL SAFETY AWARDS
2021 RISING STAR SAFETY AWARD
William Sheehan, Project Safety Professional, Edwards Electric Service
ABC Mississippi is pleased to announce our 2021 Rising Star Safety Award winner, William Sheehan. William is a Project Safety Professional for Edwards Electric Service (“Edwards Electric”) headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi. William Sheehan has been with Edwards Electric since May of 2020. From day one, William has taken a hands-on, personal approach to safety behavior in the field. He not only ensures all policies and procedures are followed; he takes the time to tailor training to employees so that they best understand. William’s approach is proactive, and he serves as a mentor and conditions employees to not only look for hazards but to “look for protentional hazards”. Because of William, Edwards Electric has adopted this approach as a company-wide policy and promotes this innovative way of thinking from the president down to the newest most inexperienced employee. As of October 31, 2021, Edwards Electric has had only 2 minor first aid injuries reported the entire year with over 404,777 hours worked. It is safe to say that William’s proactive approach to “look for potential hazards” has not only had an immediate effect on the jobsite he was assigned to but a long-term impact on the entire company. From 1998–2020, Edwards Electric has been awarded gold level ABC Mississippi Chapter Safety Awards and ABC National STEP recognition at the platinum (2002–2012) and diamond (2013-2019) levels.
About this award:
Member company safety professionals submit applications entering their individual “rising star” safety professional to compete for the ABC Mississippi Rising Star Award. This award was introduced in 2019 to ABC Mississippi. This award is open to any individual that has improved the safety culture of their company, helped mentor new employees and has implemented a safety procedure that had an immediate impact on reducing injury severity. The individual must have been in the safety field for 12+ months and for no more than 36 months. The winner is recognized at the ABC Mississippi Chapter Safety Awards Luncheon.
2021 SAFETY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
Gary Roberson, Director of Safety, Century Construction Group
ABC Mississippi is pleased to announce our 2021 Safety Professional of the Year winner, Gary Roberson. Gary is the Safety Director for Century Construction Group, Inc. (“Century Construction”) headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. Gary has been with Century Construction since 2019 and has more than 30 years of safety experience. Gary is an accomplished professional that brings solid experience and training to the construction industry. This experience has led Gary to develop many in-house training programs for Century Construction that were formerly outsourced. This enabled the Company to drive safety culture internally and empower employees to take ownership of safety. Gary has elevated the safety process to engage employees and motivate them to be proactive in their health and safety. Two key programs that Gary has developed are the Company’s monthly employee newsletter, The Maloney Times, which highlights employee accomplishments, safety topics both at work and home. The second item is “Lunch and Learn” safety meetings where Gary provides lunch at job sites and discusses safety issues with the employees face-to-face. The subjects include site issues, personal development and required training. Both programs are designed to keep safety front and center with the employees while presenting the information in a non-traditional format.
Over the years, Century Construction has received two (2) GOLD ABC Mississippi Chapter Safety Awards and one (1) gold and one (1) diamond ABC National STEP Safety Awards.
About this award:
Annually, ABC Mississippi company owners submit applications entering safety professionals to compete for the ABC Mississippi Safety Professional of the Year Award. This award is open to any individual with direct responsibility for the safety, health, and compliance for their organization, and who has shown exemplary achievement, performance, and commitment towards the safety and well-being, safety culture, and fellow employees of his/her organization. This prestigious award began in 2011 and has become one of the highlights of the ABC Mississippi Chapter Safety Awards Luncheon.
For more information, please contact:
Sherry Dunlap
Safety Director
601.944.0421
sherry@abcmississippi.org