Terrasmart honors National Safety Month
By Matt Kinderman, HR Business Partner
What is Terrasmart’s goal for safety in the departments of construction and manufacturing?
As Terrasmart’s safety team has expanded, our goal is not only to enhance our safety protocols but also to help increase awareness of our shared responsibility for the safety of all our team members. Our EHS team consists of two installation safety coordinators in the field and two coordinators who serve our manufacturing facilities in Grand Rapids, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio. We also have safety reps who perform audits at our headquarters in Fort Myers, Florida as well as our facility in Selkirk, NY.
June is National Safety Month. Why is it important to acknowledge this?
National Safety Month encourages organizations and employees to focus on the three E’s of workplace safety:
- Evaluation – Obviously, a safety program is never perfect. It always needs review and improvement.
- Education – Regardless of their level in the organization, everyone deserves the opportunity to advance and grow through ongoing education.
- Enforcement – A safety plan means nothing unless it’s enforced. And it takes every employee to enforce it — not just leadership. You need to rely on people to lead by example. In construction, the superintendent’s role is to set the standard. Things can be hidden in the field; if the super is not following protocols, how would you expect anyone to follow them? In manufacturing it’s a different story: It’s an open space with lots of oversight.
How significant is safety in the solar industry?
It is extremely important, as it concerns not just people’s health, but also their lives. Our installation team typically works during the construction process, but sometimes we are invited back to the site during operational phases for maintenance or upgrades. Working on live arrays introduces new dangers such as arc flashes and electrocution, which can be fatal.
What are the top three most important safety protocols in solar?
1. Lock-out/tag-out procedures: In construction and manufacturing environments, a lock-out procedure means de-energizing a solar array to the point where it is not live, or powering down a machine to where it is no longer harmful. This is never a standard procedure. It can be as simple as unplugging the equipment for a piece of machinery. For combiner boxes on a site, however, it’s a much more detailed process. If procedures are not followed, an event can quickly result in a major injury or worse.
2. Slip/trip/falls, or STPs: In construction, these are not likely to be fatal. In the field, working with ladders and ice in the northeast can be like working on a giant ice cube. These incidents are less dangerous than other hazards, but they do occur and we take every incident/injury very seriously.
3. Lacerations: These can occur both in the field and on the manufacturing floor. We have enhanced the company’s personal protective equipment (PPE) policy over the past couple of years. We instituted cut-resistant sleeves and cut-resistant level 4 gloves following an employee’s laceration. These are detachable and easy to take on and off. We now require them for many tasks such as carrying purlins.
What safety advancements have you deployed across Terrasmart?
There are many. The first is the PPE mentioned above. We have new leaning ladders to provide more stability for the construction crews. Aerial lifts were brought in to reduce STFs from ladders, and we have new fall protection gear for working in lifts, which includes a harness and a lanyard.
We also worked to institutionalize new safety audits on installation projects. Our safety coordinators perform site safety inspections using extensive, 50-question checklists.
Can you share any details about Terrasmart’s safety training that are unique or noteworthy?
Our training is massive! We do our best to cover every area of employee training. Our training program is documented and delivered in both Spanish and English. It is a very robust, OSHA-compliant program.
Documentation is a priority at Terrasmart and it includes everything from site-specific safety plans and pre-task plans to job hazard analysis and sign-in/sign-out sheets. We don’t just want to know that someone signed off a job; we want to ensure that this team member is 100% fine.
Every employee who comes on-site gets a thorough safety orientation in Spanish and English that lasts about 20 minutes. Lastly, everyone in the field needs to have at least 10 hours of OSHA training and be certified accordingly.
Our “Take 5 – Stay Alive” initiative is another program that, while it’s a simple concept, works wonders. Our team is incentivized to take extra time to pause and see if there are any overlooked hazards. Everyone loves it and understands the value of training in our organization.
Does Terrasmart have a dedicated training facility?
We do, and it is first-rate. Shawn Cameron runs our Selkirk, NY training facility where he has put hundreds of employees and new hires through safety and operational training. This is also where Terrasmart conducts all of its instruction and certifications for its ground screw drilling equipment. We are proud of the training facility; it maintains an all-time OSHA rate of zero recordable incidents.
Can you think of an example in the field where the teams avoided a major safety event because of Terrasmart’s safety program?
Luckily, I cannot think of a major safety event at Terrasmart — which is a good thing! This means the program has really worked.
Our safety coordinators work closely with each project’s superintendent and project managers, following site-specific safety plans that identify project hazards and remediation strategies.
One example is a project where our team found asbestos on the site. We immediately informed the client, who then remediated the asbestos and provided documentation of that before our team could step foot on the site.
What is your favorite aspect in your role in serving the construction teams?
We are very fortunate to have an amazing team. It’s not always easy to implement something new and have people get on board. Our construction superintendents take site audits very seriously and are deeply concerned if there is even one safety discrepancy. They care — and it shows.
Launched several years ago, our internal Bleed Green awards program highlights our fervent commitment to renewable energy and supporting the environment. Our safety program is tied to the initiative and rewards field and manufacturing teams for their performance. If they receive three consecutive safety scores of 100 they receive 5,000 Bleed Green points, which they can use for redeemable gifts on our internal rewards portal.
What advice can you give to new people entering the solar industry?
Be prepared for the weather! You never know when you might deal with ice, snow, or extreme heat. For people in the safety field, get as much training as you can.
