Bear was near his truck when a trench caved in on a worker. The worker was buried up to his waist with dirt and it had him pinned against some rebar. Bear responded to yells for help and assisted in digging the man out. He also noticed that one of our drivers was about to enter the jobsite, unaware of what just happened. Bear quickly got on the radio and advised the driver to stay back, knowing that if he came to the jobsite, the potential of a more serious situation could arise.

For “Bear’s quick thinking and assistance in getting the man out of the trench”, The Safety Department would like to present Bear with the second Honorable Mention Safety Award.

We would like to thank Bear for his actions that may have prevented a fatality.

In other news . . . Brad Lenz, Ames Project Manager received the Ames first Honorable Mention Safety Award for his insight into the MENTORING PROGRAM.

Brad’s idea was adopted by the Ames Ready Mix Division and has been a big success. The idea of the Mentoring Program is to put a new hire with a seasoned driver and use the “Buddy System” to help them through the initial shock of all the things that we get involved in on a daily basis, and to answer any questions that they may have.

The seasoned driver, along with any of the other drivers, also “Watch out” for them and help then in any way they can. All of the ready mix drivers have really stepped up and taken on this responsibility with great enthusiasm. All of us here in Ames, not just ready mix, continue to strive for a safe and productive work place, and thanks to Brad Lenz, we can continue our quest.

Anyone that has an idea that we feel will help us out, not just in Ames, but throughout the whole Company, we would be happy to hear your idea. If we implement the program, we will take it to our committee and present another award.

Keep up the good work! Let’s make it the whole summer without a lost time accident/incident.