Summit Drilling, Bridgewater,
N.J., one of the northeast’s largest
environmental drilling companies, also is one of the region's safest operators.
Summit Drilling's director of health and safety, Denis Crayon, recently accepted
a Recognition Award at the Governor's Annual Occupational Safety and Health
Awards Program, an annual event that has been a pillar of achievement in the
prevention of workplace injury and illness for 83 years The award was presented
to organizations with an outstanding safety record throughout 2010. The New
Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the New Jersey State
Industrial Safety Committee, and the New Jersey State Safety Council sponsor
the program.
Summit Drilling is a leading environmental services company,
offering drilling, direct push sampling, sonic technology and injection
expertise. Its commitment to health and safety has reached new heights, having
more than doubled its efforts over the past three years. Field service crews,
members of operations, health and safety program coordinators and management
are required to attend weekly 6 a.m. health and safety meetings.
"Our health and safety meetings provide an opportunity
to share best practices and embed safety in the minds of our people on a
consistent basis. Over time, this has become a part of our company culture, and
is the glue holding our program together," states Crayon. "If anyone
feels that safety programs like this are unnecessary, I say look at the
statistics. People first and then equipment are the companies greatest assets.
So how can an investment in protecting them be anything but necessary?" Crayon
continues. "I'm extremely proud of our guys and the record we are building
here at Summit.
I also feel fortunate to be at a company where the work I do is a priority."
To be honored at this long-standing and prestigious event,
Summit Drilling racked up some impressive numbers. As of Aug. 18, 2011, Summit
Drilling has worked 583 consecutive workdays without a lost-time incident,
representing approximately 173,844 man-hours worked. Prior to receiving the
83rd Annual Governor’s Occupational Safety & Health Award, Summit Drilling
also received the Annual Eyes on America Workforce Safety Award this past June.
The rigors of running a comprehensive health and safety program
require a full-time focus. Summit Drilling's program includes an extensive list
of training and certifications. Its loss prevention system encourages constant
communication and documentation from the field. "Our field services crews
are incentivized to submit near-loss reports," states Summit's CEO Bob Kreilick. "To date, we
have paid $2,666 in incentive awards to our employees to report safety
performance observations. When I hear that our guys are reminding each other to
put in earplugs, or to go back to the truck for the right type of gloves, I
know our program is working. Denis Crayon cares about every individual in our
company. If I tell him what a great job he's doing, his first response would be
to credit the people doing the work. That's just the kind of leader he is,"
Kreilick concludes.
Summit is holding a special
health and safety meeting for customers at 6:00 a.m. on Sept. 29 at its Bridgewater, N.J.,
headquarters. It's being coordinated to provide customers with an opportunity
to see a top-notch health and safety program in action. Food and coffee will be
served. All are encouraged to participate; it’s recommended that those planning
to attend call in advance to confirm their attendance.
If you would like to learn more about this event or Summit
Drilling's health and safety program, call 800-242-6648, and speak with program
director Denis Crayon.
Regular health and safety meetings at Summit Drilling are open
to industry colleagues, consulting engineering firms and vendors involved in
environmental investigation work.
