Bayley achieves L&I's first START designation for construction
Bayley Construction is Washingtons first construction company to achieve the states START designation. “We are really proud of this recognition as we always want to be the best that we can be -- and safety goes right along with that” says Ron Bayley Chairman and CEO. Both Bayley’s corporate office on Mercer Island and equipment yard in Bellevue received the designation. This process involved a year of effort between Bayley Safety Director Joe Chandler and L&I Consultation department.
Above left: Warren Johnson VP Business Development; Ron Bayley Chairman and CEO; Steve Grasso President; Joe Chandler Corporate Safety Director and Brandon Etnyre VP Operations. Above right: Warren Johnson Bayley; Corey Bevis L&I; Lynda Stoneberg L&I; Ron Bayley Bayley; Steve Grasso Bayley; Joe Chandler Bayley; Brandon Etnyre Bayley; Gail Hughes L&I and Mark Soltow L&I.
“We heard about START as we were looking into the Federal Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) said Chandler. We found out that there was a process in place which must be completed prior to being eligible for the VPP and the DOSH START (Safety Through Achieving Recognition Together) program was the first step. We felt that the value to the START program would allow us marketing opportunities to prospective clientele allow us to stand out in the crowd of construction companies bring about better standards for prospective current and future employees as well as fostering company pride of being the first construction company in Washington State to achieve this goal. We would definitely recommend this program for other contractors.”
Mark Soltow Regional Consultation Manager said “Our consultation program works with a lot of construction contractors. It’s the single biggest source of consultant requests for us but relatively few construction companies request help in the industrial hygiene arena. I really appreciate the fact that Bayley is looking at the whole picture.” His statement was seconded by Corey Bevis L&I Safety Consultant who added “Consistency is something that I always look for and I compare all sites and all companies to each other. But I always like how Joe and the superintendents really have a good safety culture and good morale on the site.”
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries’ START program began in 2010 as a means for employers in Washington to partner with L&I to enhance safety at their fixed work locations.
To achieve START status a company must:
- request a full-service safety and health consultation from its local L & I consultation office that will involve a comprehensive review of the company’s safety and health program;
- involve employees in the consultation process;
- submit a commitment letter to adhere to the principles of the START program;
- correct all hazards identified by the consultant;
- maintain the company’s Days Away Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate and Total Recordable Case (TRC) rate below the national average for your industry; and
- agree to notify the local consultation office prior to making any changes in the working conditions or processes that may introduce new hazards into the workplace.
AGC’s Director of Safety Mandi Kime said “Bayley Construction has been a member of AGC Safety Team® since 1990 so their commitment to safety is a long-standing tradition. It is no surprise that Bayley chose to be a trailblazer by being the first construction contractor to achieve START recognition. Joe Chandler has invested a great deal of effort into this program and making continual improvement to Bayleys safety programs and overall culture.”
A company that achieves this recognition then receives an exemption from routine inspections (for complaints referrals and imminent danger situations will still be conducted.) This program is only available at fixed-work locations employing fewer than fifty workers at a specific site and no more than 250 workers statewide. Only worksites that have been in operation at that specific location for longer than one year are eligible to apply for the program. Short-term construction jobsites cannot apply.
Click here for more info on the START program.
The START program was adopted by L&I and modeled after the OSHA program called SHARP. For more info on OSHA’s SHARP program click here.