When most people get up to go to work, they think about things like meetings on their schedule, vacation days they haven’t used up, and whether they’ll have to make the first pot of coffee.
They don’t, however, have to think about their own safety in order to do their job.
For a certain percentage of the work force however, people like crane operators, roofers, ironworkers and yes, elevator mechanics, staying safe is a part of their daily life.
I’ll stick with the elevator analogy because it’s what I know best. Elevators are an essential part of life especially if you live and work in, or around, a city. And like any elevator company, passenger safety is our top priority. Along with the safety of every Allied employee whose job it is to create those safe environments.
Elevator mechanics install, fix, and maintain lots of different kinds of elevators. They work in confined spaces, move up and down hoistways, carry heavy equipment and parts, and risk exposure to high voltages, hazardous materials, and chemicals. They have to use caution at all times.
According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), falls are among the most common causes of serious work- related injuries and deaths. Employers bear the responsibility to “set up a work place that is free of known dangers, to provide personal protective equipment at no cost to workers and to train workers about job hazards in a language they can understand.”
Allied has a Safety Program in place, in compliance with OSHA and other workplace standards for the health and wellbeing of employees in the elevator industry. We provide ongoing training and skill sharpening, along with PPE, and encourage technicians to advance their safety training and certification.
OSHA offers a variety of training and certification levels. Our focus today is OSHA 10 and OSHA 30.
The 10-hour training is more geared towards general employees, whereas the 30-hour program is intended for employees in a supervisory role who will have additional responsibilities in promoting a safe and healthy workplace.
Every Allied mechanic receives a safety bag when they begin here. It contains goggles with anti-fog lenses, safety glasses, fall protection harness, Inline GFCI with 18″ cord, safety lockout, hard hat with suspension, retainers, respirators, particulate prefilters, shock absorbing lanyard, corded earplugs, first aid kit and safety shoes.
All employees visiting a work site are provided PPE, given essential safety guidelines, and informed about required appropriate clothing and shoes. Field personnel- and any Allied personal visiting a job site — are always required to wear proper clothing required for all worksites. Including long pants and long sleeves, steel toe shoes, and many of the other safety items listed above.
Most recently, all of our 28 technicians completed a comprehensive Fall Protection Training in April. Because falls are the most common accident, employees must adapt to each work site and setup their job to prevent someone from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls.
In our line of work, it takes a combination of strict adherence to safety standards, ongoing training, careful preparation and laser focus to avoid workplace accidents.
Being on the safe side, that’s the Allied Way.
