Safety first, safety always! Egan joined the Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) program along with 42 other Associated General Contractor (AGC) members.
The CHASE program is a partnership with Minnesota OSHA and AGC of Minnesota. The program is designed to recognize contractors for their superior safety programs and safety performance, while providing incentives for the partnership. The incentives include:
Receive written recognition by AGC and MNOSHA
No penalty for non-serious violations
Increased communication with MNOSHA
Receive maximum good faith penalty reduction
Possible consideration as “best value” contractor
AGC Director of Safety and Education Development Matt Semerad stated, “Egan Company has always been a progressive leader in safety and a mentor to many within the industry. AGC and CHASE are excited to have Egan Company as a member, but more importantly, a contributor in thought and action.”
For more information on the CHASE Program, click here.
If you know Egan Company, you know we are committed to promoting teamwork, embracing innovation, acting with integrity, pursuing growth, and staying safe – every day on every job site. With these promises and values in mind, it’s clear why we care deeply about our apprentices and their safety. Across our Egan job sites today, we have approximately 126 apprentices.
We talked to Tony Leither, Egan Field Leader, about the importance of apprentice safety. “Apprentice safety is important [to me] because I was an apprentice at one time. I was taken care of and made sure to work safe. We need to take care of the future of our industry,” said Leither.
EGAN APPRENTICE SAFETY EXPERIENCE
When an apprentice arrives at an Egan jobsite, they are given new-to-site orientation by their field leader. By doing this, the site leaders are able to reiterate instructions and directions given from office orientation and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Leither adds, “We, as field leaders, need to be sure that we don’t assume anything when it comes to the safety of our apprentices on our job sites. It is our responsibility to give the proper instruction, and clear direction as to the safety expectations we have on our job sites.”
Working with apprentices regularly, Leither is currently working on the Southwest Light Rail Transit METRO Green Line Extension project. He would like all apprentices to know that “we care about their safety from the top down in this company. At Egan, we pride ourselves on practicing what we preach when it comes to safety.” Doing so, we are able to send each of our employees (apprentices included!) home, safe and healthy, at the end of every day. Safety first, safety always. Learn more about why safety is the foundation of Egan Company, by watching this short video .
Active stretching is an integral part of every day at Egan Company. Although a seemingly simple task, stretching does more than just warm your muscles up, it also promotes a healthy lifestyle, increases range-of-motion, balance, heart rate, and engages muscles.
An Egan Company crew starting their day with active stretching
The reason active stretching takes place at the start of each day on every Egan jobsite is because it improves muscle function and releases tension; what better way to start the work day than with fully relaxed muscles. Unlike other types of stretching, active stretching only uses one’s own muscle contractions.
Taking the time to do a few simple exercises greatly decreases the rate of workplace injuries. Often implementing the smallest steps makes the biggest impact. We believe time spent stretching is time spent valuing the safety and lives of our employees.
For a video demonstration, view our active stretching training video. Over the course of the video, 12 active stretching exercises are demonstrated by Egan employees. Safety is a large part of our culture and our Active Stretching Program is just one aspect of the Safety Brings You Home initiative, which seeks to bring all employees home at the end of the day. For more about our commitment to safety and the lives of our team, check out our safety video.
Recognized for its ongoing commitment to worker safety and health, comprehensive training programs and risk management efforts, and a lower than industry average injury and illness rate, Egan Company has once again been named one of America’s Safest Companies.
EHS Todaynamed 10 organizations to the 2020 list of America’s Safest Companies, including firms with a few dozen employees to multinational corporations with tens of thousands of employees. Together, these organizations all have one thing in common: to provide a safe working environment for their employees.
Being named one of America’s Safest Companies is a tremendous honor!” said Reid Romer, Egan Company Safety Director. “When I think about safety at Egan, I think about our people. Our dedicated teams enable us to progress along our journey to safety excellence and to continue to grow, evolve, and excel safely within our organization. I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together. I believe the best is still to come.
Within Egan, a safety department was first established in 1986. Having been founded in 1945, it may surprise some that Egan had gone over forty years without a dedicated safety program. Today, Egan maintains an ongoing, aggressive commitment to provide all employees with a safe and healthy place of employment.
“We have a true ‘Safety Culture’ at Egan Company. Everyone believes in our safety programs and is acting and responding to do our work in the safest way possible,” said Duane Hendricks, Egan Company President & CEO. “We have good safety results because of our many safety initiatives and the involvement of everyone. This sets us apart and keeps our people focused and safe.”
Egan continues to move forward in the belief that work-related injuries are preventable, but we can never claim to control all the variables. What we can control is how we collectively work together and support each other to promote safety.
“We do not focus on our safety for an award, we focus on safety to keep our people safe. But it is exciting to know Egan is recognized for safety once again!” Hendricks adds.
All award recipients were honored at EHS Today’s Virtual Safety Leadership Conference on November 10. A feature was published in a special section in the November issue of EHS Today magazine (read more here).
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (December 4, 2020) –EHS Today once again selected Egan Company as one of America’s Safest Companies for its commitment to worker safety and health.
The 10 organizations identified as America’s Safest Companies represent safety excellence and come in all shapes and sizes, including firms with a few dozen employees to multinational corporations with tens of thousands of employees. Together, all chosen organizations have one thing in common: to provide a safe working environment for their employees.
“Being named one of America’s Safest Companies is a tremendous honor!” said Reid Romer, Egan Company Safety Director. “When I think about safety at Egan, I think about our people. Our dedicated teams enable us to progress along our journey to safety excellence and to continue to grow, evolve, and excel safety within our organization. I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together. I believe the best is still to come.”
Egan Company maintains an ongoing, aggressive commitment to provide all employees with a safe and healthy place of employment. Through its safety program, on-going safety training, safety policy and practices, and a full-time safety team, employees are given knowledge and skills to ensure their own safety in the workplace.
“We have a true ‘Safety Culture’ at Egan Company. Everyone believes in our safety programs and is acting and responding to do our work in the safest way possible,” said Duane Hendricks, Egan Company President & CEO. “We have good safety results because of our many safety initiatives and the involvement of everyone. This sets us apart and keeps our people focused and safe.”
All award recipients were honored at EHS Today’s Virtual Safety Leadership Conference on November 10 and featured in a special section of the November issue of EHS Today magazine (read more here).
About Egan Company
Egan Company is a privately-owned, specialty contractor providing building trades to general contractors, engineers, building owners, property managers, and facility engineers. Specialties include: electrical, mechanical, curtainwall/glazing/metal panels (InterClad), millwrights, building technology, controls and system integration, and 24/7 service. Egan serves every stage of a building and provides in-house expertise in planning, design and engineering, construction, and maintenance. For more information about Egan Company, visit www.eganco.com.
About EHS Today
EHS Today, formerly known as Occupational Hazards, is a part of Penton Media, Inc. The publication informs safety, health, and industrial hygiene professionals in the manufacturing, construction, and service sectors about trends, management strategies, regulatory news, and new products that help them provide safe and healthy work sites. Since 2002, America’s Safest Companies has honored more than 200 organizations for their unwavering commitment to worker safety and health and environmental stewardship.
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Media Contact: Angela Schmidt arschmidt@eganco.com // 763-504-3471
Innovation and safety is the name of the game with Egan’s utilization of the new SpyderCrane mini lift. Identifying a need to install glass in a different way than before at a high-rise project, Egan’s InterClad and Safety teams brainstormed possible options. The innovative and compact SpyderCrane was the solution that fit the installation needed in the confined working area.
“Typically, Egan’s InterClad team utilizes a ground crane to install glass and windows in large high-rise buildings,” said Jason Lindula, Egan Company Safety Manager. “We now use the SpyderCrane to reduce material handling, create a safer installation process, and provide an opportunity for a smaller crew size.”
On a high-rise project jobsite, imagine the SpyderCrane on level six, two Egan employees on level five, and two Egan employees on level four. The SpyderCrane lowers the glass into place from above, allowing the Egan crews on the lower levels to install the glass into place quickly and safely.
Specifications of Egan’s SpyderCrane:
Capacity to lift 2,000 lbs.
Variable Geometry Outriggers – allows for lifts in tight spaces
Remote control and pressure sensitive controls
Narrow track width and low center of gravity
We’re still working out the kinks of utilizing a new piece of equipment,” said Ryan Woodruff, Egan Company Vice President. “But the SpyderCrane’s ability to install glass in tight spaces while we utilize additional installation tactics in other areas ensures we’re staying on track for the overall project.
With one SpyderCrane already active on a jobsite, a second SpyderCrane will be arriving soon for use on additional jobsites where confined installation is needed. The precision and safety of the SpyderCrane mini lift provides Egan an opportunity to increase accuracy and ensure safety while continuing to install glass on even the tallest high-rise buildings in the Midwest.
Egan’s preparedness and response during a global pandemic
Social distancing. Quarantine. Essential and nonessential. Adapting to COVID-19, over the last several months, has meant quickly adjusting to changes in all areas of our lives. It has put us in a place to define a “new normal”. For over 75 years, the heart of our business has been to provide skilled trades, professional services, and 24/7 response under all circumstances. Along with the rest of the world, we now know what “under all circumstances” means in the midst of a global health crisis.
While modifying the way we approach our business, Egan Company has continued its daily operations to meet customer needs without losing sight of our highest priority of keeping our employees and trade partners safe under new and heightened safety measures that would not have even been a consideration just a few short days and weeks before. “In early March, we had to act quickly to ensure the safety of our employees and their families as well as respond to the new guidelines and necessary safety precautions on all jobsites and in all offices,” said Duane Hendricks, Egan Company President & CEO.
During the season of “Stay Home” Executive orders, the construction and skilled trades industry was deemed an essential service as critical to maintaining the health and safety of Minnesotans by Governor Tim Walz. With three offices, shops, and hundreds of jobsites, Egan continued to perform a large part of its work in providing specialty trades to customers. However, this hasn’t happened without challenge and a necessity to think differently. Through a mix of new precautions, remote work, leaner approaches, workforce reductions and furloughs, the response to COVID-19 has demanded focus. About 70% of Egan’s workforce reports to a jobsite or customer facility to perform work each day. For these frontline employees and crews, working remotely isn’t an option and ”six feet apart” is difficult. But the focus remains: ensuring all employees work in a safe and healthy environment, regardless of where the work is performed.
Four months in, the COVID-19 pandemic continues its evolution. In June, the State of Minnesota published requirements that all critical sector businesses need to develop and implement a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. Access a copy of the Egan Company COVID-19 Exposure Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Plan below.
Like other companies, we’re still responding and adjusting to the many changes occurring every day, as well as adapting to a new way of working and being there for our customers,” said Hendricks. “In place of our face-to-face interactions, we’ve found new ways to connect by phone and online video calls to continue prioritizing and building relationships.
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There’s no doubt this pandemic will mold our future. And there will be key influences, including the importance of human interaction as well as thinking differently about buildings and building systems. Preparing customers and facilities for future occupancies could take on various different looks like: touchless fixtures, modified mechanical and HVAC systems, technology and building analytics, and even sanitizing lighting. Embracing these opportunities of what may lie ahead, we remain steadfast with the core priority of keeping those we value safe and healthy.
“In the last few months, we’ve learned that we can continue to meet customer needs, have productive remote employees, and maintain successful and positive jobsite environments during this unprecedented time,” said Hendricks. “As we navigate the future with COVID-19, we’ll continue to plan, do, check, and adjust, but our dedication to the safety and well-being of our employees, customers, and their families has been our top priority for 75 years, and will remain our priority for another 75 more!”
Excellence in safety doesn’t just happen. It takes practice and leadership.
At Egan Company, our teams strive to promote safe and healthy working environments and to maintain safe practices at all times. Our safety program is not static—it continually evolves and improves to meet our own standards and those of our customers.
Two consecutive years without an OSHA recordable injury is a milestone we celebrate, and there’s one group at Egan Company that achieved zero injuries in 2018 and 2019– the Industrial Controls team.
A business offering within Egan, the Industrial Controls business unit provides electrical installations, system integration, PLC/HMI programming, engineering, custom-built control panels, and a variety of other specialty controls services.
Last year, this group delivered 135,332 combined hours in the field and in our UL 508A Panel Shop.
KEY CONTRIBUTORS IN SAFETY
When safety is a cultural priority, experience through field practices and leadership become key contributors to reaching success in safety.
Through implemented programs like jobsite audits, safety observations, and safety lunches, a safety mindset is emphasized and it is everyone’s job to make sure these are completed every month.
“The Industrial Controls leadership team has made safety a top priority. We believe the safety team has implemented these important programs to emphasize the importance of safety. It is our job to make sure these are followed through.” said Mike Tengwall, Egan Company Vice President. “Our experienced project managers and field leaders have a good understanding of our jobsites and the hazards associated with the work they are performing. If there are any questions related to safety, we involve the safety team early to help us execute work in a safe manner.”
COMMITMENT SHOWS
Recently, this team was recognized for an Award of Honor by the Minnesota Safety Council. Recipients of this award have incident rates at least 91% better than the industry average and a score between 91 and 100 on the safety program evaluation scale.
Significant growth over the last few years has also added to the need for additional safety measures. As new employees have joined the team, additional space has become necessary, and demand for project output has increased, the continued focus on safety has grown as well.
Terry Fredricks, Egan Company Panel Shop Foreman
Specifically, in the panel shop, there’s a continued commitment to executing work in a safe manner, identifying hazards, and communicating on a daily basis through the daily safety plan to keep everyone aware. This, coupled with the weekly tool box talk and daily stretching, sends a powerful message that safety is at the top of the priority list.
“As leaders, we always follow up on safety concerns or near-misses with employees and customers to understand what can be done going forward to eliminate any future risk to people or property,” adds Terry Fredricks, Egan Company Panel Shop Foreman. “In addition, from a tool and process standpoint, continued investments in leading technologies have assisted in achieving our safety goals.
Safety remains the number one priority at Egan Company – across all business units and teams. The leadership team and dedicated safety team empowers and holds every employee accountable to the highest level of safety possible. Thanks to the many advocates across all levels of our Company that promote safety excellence, safety is a long-standing standard and foundation of our culture.
The Minnesota Safety Council has awarded three Governor’s Safety Awards to Egan Company for excellence in safety.
Egan is amongst a very small group of companies to receive an Award of Honor; recipients of this award have incident rates at least 91% better than the industry average and a score between 91 and 100 on the safety program evaluation scale. Egan received the Award of Honor in 2014 as well.
Two Meritorious Achievement Awards were also earned, recognizing an outstanding record and incident rates better than the industry average for at least three years, respectively.
Traditionally, The Minnesota Safety Council honors award winners at its Governor’s Safety Awards Ceremony at its annual conference; however, due to COVID-19 developments, this event has been postponed until Fall 2020.
The Minnesota Safety Council, founded in 1928, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional injuries (“accidents”). Since 1934, the annual Governor’s Safety Awards program has honored Minnesota employers with exceptional safety performance. Applicants are judged on several years of injury data as it compares with their industry’s national statistics, and on their progress in implementing a comprehensive safety program.
Over the last several weeks, we’ve had to quickly adjust to changes in all areas of our lives in support of one priority: the safety and well-being of our employees, our customers, and our communities.
For over 75 years, the core of our business has been to provide skilled trades, professional services, and 24/7 response under all circumstances. Egan Company continues to operate daily, ensuring your needs are met. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, the Task Force team at Egan has also continued to evolve prevention, preparedness, and response plans.
The thoughtful and decisive action we’ve taken over the last two months remains in-place
Here’s a quick summary of what is active, in response to COVID-19:
Business continuity – maintaining operations and minimizing disruptions in our shops, the field, and the office, disinfecting equipment and tools before delivery, and closely monitoring potential impacts in the supply chain.
Shop work area adjustments – employing practices that will help prevent the spread of germs and creating multiple and separate work areas in our shops and on the jobsite.
Precautions and key actions – following CDC guidance for precautionary measures, daily self-monitoring and screening protocol, social distancing, instituting field safety guides for jobsite and shop practices, supplying disinfectant/sanitizer/masks, practicing good hygiene, and cancelling nonessential meetings.
Team support – providing direct support for COVID-19 questions/concerns from employees and preparing in the case of potential exposure.
Industry relations – remaining connected with many organizations and suppliers to keep apprised of movements that could affect our work.
Reach out at any time – we’re here to support you with unwavering service
There is no doubt this pandemic has presented new challenges for everyone. As government officials begin to lift “Stay at Home” Executive Orders, Egan is here to help transition facilities to ensure all sites are operational. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do for you.
Thank you for working alongside us through this unprecedented time. We’ll continue to assess our plans and adopt new methodologies based on guidance from national and local governments and health authorities—and ask you to do the same.