From June 11 through June 13, Danella’s Annual Risk & Safety Summit brought together teams from each division across the country to train and equip leadership with the newest technologies, industry trends, and tools.
Over the course of three days, participants discussed risk management strategies, safety programs, and other innovative practices aimed at preparing all Danella employees to reach the highest levels of safety and operational excellence.
Kevin Coe, Director of Risk Management, led Day One by recognizing the collective milestones achieved since the previous year’s summit. These achievements included a remarkable 235% companywide increase in near-miss reporting and the improved efficacy of the Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) and Work Site Observations (WSOR) process. Additionally, effectively implementing divisional task forces for Samsara (driving telematics) and Mindforge (mobile communication) led to the collective enhancement of driving safety and employee communications.
Following the review of the previous year’s achievements, divisional leadership engaged in ongoing education on identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks through a comprehensive Risk Management Workshop. This workshop was led by Kevin Coe, Beth Morris, Claims Manager, and ACIG (American Contractors Insurance Group) Leadership, focusing on educating and training participants on the evolving need and ways to manage risk in construction. One notable improvement Danella has provided this year is an enhanced subcontracting process, featuring an online subcontractor registration portal and a Certificate of Insurance and Contract Management System aimed at efficiently protecting the company and our employees from risk.
Moving into Day Two, the summit expanded by inviting not only division leadership but also field leaders and safety managers, bringing the total number of participants to over 70. The increased invite reflects Danella’s commitment to ensuring that every employee nationwide has access to the latest tools and information. The day began with a presentation by ACIG’s Mike Dickerson and Carl Heinlein on precursors and controls for significant injuries and fatalities, followed by a keynote address by industry expert and author Mark Breslin on a mentorship and training culture. The day continued with updates on continued expansion for Samsara and Mindforge, as well as lessons learned from the Crisis Management Drill led by Joseph Morris and Taylor Murray from Corporate Safety.
On Day Three, the summit introduced a new initiative to bring in safety managers and field leaders for collaborative site visits. The day began with discussions led by Taylor Murray on the Energy Wheel concept, emphasizing the importance of identifying potential dangers from multiple perspectives. Small groups then visited three job sites in the Philadelphia area to observe and analyze safety practices firsthand. This hands-on approach led to conversations about how each team member perceives risks and safety measures and how to continually improve. Upon returning to Danella Headquarters, the groups shared their insights, discussed their observations, and explored ways to learn and improve together, reinforcing our commitment to “being better together.”
The active engagement and valuable insights shared by this year’s attendees highlight the summit’s success. Jim Danella expressed immense pride in the collective efforts of the group, emphasizing that the work done during these three days is meant to extend far beyond the summit. He stressed the importance of each attendee bringing these lessons back to their divisions and sharing them with every employee to lead the way in continuous improvement and safety excellence across the organization.
Check out last year’s Safety Summit article by clicking here.