Welcome to my first weekly post to the Ted Berry Company Safety Blog. One of the biggest challenges of a company whether large or small is forming a strong link between the goals and values of the company and that of its employees. I sit in a seat once filled by my Grandfather Ted and Father Jim and am now responsible for the health and safety of our nearly 50 employees who work tirelessly to make our company successful. How do I share the passion that I have for this business, this industry, and our employees with such a diverse group of individuals in a way that reflects our long history once started by Ted Berry in 1972?
Corporate safety slogans are often just that; a slogan that has little or no meaning shared by people who have no common tie. Over the last 12-18 months WEÂ (meaning all members of the Ted Berry Company team)Â have shared in a common vision of providing an incident free workplace and establishing a consistent set of values and standards by which we will all operate. In that process we have found a very common link between all members of the company from ownership to senior leaders and supervisors to our technicians and operators; we all expect to come to work and go home safe at the end of each day.
In 2012 we adopted this “safety for all of us” commitment and made it real by bringing our families into our company and sharing with them our passion and commitment to come home safe to them each day, through a video that was produced by members of our team. As a business owner showing that video to the families of our workers was a very proud moment and one that I will remember for a long time. Now going into 2013 we can reflect on what that still means to each of us. Internally I have challenged the entire operation to Lead By Example and prove to ourselves, our customers, and our families our commitment to a safe workplace. I plan to do the same. We have recently established the Ted Berry Company Employee Training center which is dedicated to the continuous training necessary for compliance and work skills our employees need to be safe and productive as well as continuous professional development that allows our employees the opportunities to advance within the Ted Berry Company.
I will post weekly a relevant safety topics that we will share with the company’s employees and use this as just another way to share our common commitment to a safe and healthy workplace. This post will be public so please share with your family and friends.
Work safe everyone!
Matt Timberlake
Vice President