Taylor Murray joined Danella in October 2011 as an Assistant Safety Manager after his graduation from Millersville University. Working out of the Philadelphia office, he received an invaluable hands-on education by addressing the safety needs of Danella crews working on gas, electric, aerial, underground, water, and telecommunications projects.
He would frequently perform worksite observations including traveling with crews to affected areas for storm restoration projects.
In more than a decade working on safety, he learned how crews work and what they need to do their job effectively. It was his job to make sure the crews completed their work and returned home safely.
Now Taylor has been promoted to Danella’s Director of Safety and Development. In his new role, he is taking his decade-plus, hands-on experience to a corporate level to improve safety across all divisions at Danella.
In his new position, Taylor manages safety programs throughout the company including training, mentoring, standard operating procedures, and worksite observations. He is working to bring consistency in how safety and training is handled across all divisions.
This job is made more difficult by the unique requirements of Danella’s customers. “Every utility has their own way of doing things.” Taylor says, “It’s important that we follow their procedures and meet all of their standards.”
When it comes to safety, communication is key. So, another priority is the implementation of the new MindForge app that allows Danella to send important safety information to crews and ensure that these messages have been seen. This app will also be used to send crews to locations, conduct training, request assistance, and update procedures – all in a consistent way across all divisions.
Another priority is to streamline and standardize so-called “tailboard” discussions where crews evaluate the job at hand, identify hazards, and put controls in place to ensure safety. Currently these meetings are handled in different ways, so the goal is to promote greater consistency and improved safety across the board.
Taylor is a Certified Safety Professional and will be recognized in September as a 2024 Rising Star in Safety by the National Safety Council. Rising Stars are under age 40, provide safety leadership in their organization and are dedicated to continuous improvement in safety. This important recognition puts Danella on par with safety leaders like Amazon and the United States Armed Services.
It’s not just me. This recognition goes to everyone I’ve worked with in my past. I owe a lot to my managers, the foremen, and the crews I’ve worked with over the years.”
— Taylor Murray, Director of Safety and Development