Randon Williamson holds the title of environmental health safety director at Windcreek Services, but every one of the company’s 80 employees makes safety an integral part of their job.

“Our goal is that everyone goes home safely every single night,” he says. “Our company’s culture is deeply committed to safety and it’s vital to everyone’s work.”

And it shows. In 2015, the Gillette, Wyoming-based company had zero recordable injuries or lost time accidents. That’s an accomplishment for any business, but even more so for a company providing excavation, pipeline, fluid management and other services in the oil and gas and other industries.

Williamson says the company’s safety culture starts from the top. “Company leaders take safety seriously and make sure we as a company are where we need to be,” he says.

The company’s Near Miss Program, which focuses on catching potential safety issues before they happen, is a cornerstone for its safety initiative. An example of a near miss would be an employee who forgot to put on safety glasses, says Jason Scallen, Windcreek’s sales manager.

“We’re very proactive and trying to ‘catch’ something before it happens,” he says, adding that the employee who left behind his safety glasses would be chided by his co-workers into bringing a 12-pack of soda for the team. “It’s all done in a fun manner.”

Employees who spot a near miss are asked to fill out a form explaining what happened. As part of the report, employees rank the near miss from a 1, which means the potential for injury was very minor, up to a 4, which means the injury potential was very high.

To help employees identify and report near misses, the company held a contest for teams who spotted the most near misses. Employees won a break from work and had the opportunity to shoot skeet, play horseshoes or other fun activities.

All employees can spot the near miss and report it, Scallen says. “One of the guys called out our company president (Don Williamson) for not wearing his hard hat in the field,” he says.

“He was then asked to bring a 12-pack of pop for the crew. That shows you safety is everyone’s job.”

In addition to empowering employees to spot near misses, Williamson also created a safety team. A safety team member — recognizable by their red hard hats — is on every job site. Team members receive additional training and their red hats are a visible reminder of the additional attention paid to safety.

“I can’t be at all the sites, and the team has had a big safety impact just by their very presence in the field,” Williamson says. “You always have to be aware when it comes to safety, since you never know what you’re going to run into in the field.”

Windcreek employees also conduct a daily job safety control analysis. At the start of the day, employees outline and investigate potential hazards and double-check equipment. Williamson says this process ensures safety is the first thing employees think about each day.

While 2015 was a safety success for Windcreek, Williamson says the company remains as committed as ever to safety. If the company finishes 2016 without any reportable injuries, all employees will receive three extra vacation days.

Safety plays a role in the hiring process, too. When interviewing potential employees, managers try to get a feel for the applicant’s commitment to safety and following procedures. Once an employee is hired, they go through an onboarding program where they receive safety training and learn about Windcreek’s safety processes, Scallen says. New hires wear a green hat and complete a six-month mentorship to learn more about safety processes. After six months, the employee earns a white hard hat and assumes full responsibility for his assigned duties.

Williamson says Windcreek’s safety record makes it stand out from the crowd since oil and gas businesses want safety information about their service providers. To get employees focused on safety, the company not only follows OSHA’s monthly requirement, but goes “above and beyond,” he says.

“If we’re doing confined space training, we not only review the information, but then do a hands-on activity,” Williamson says. “Or when we discussed defensive driving techniques, employees put on special goggles that impaired their vision and had to drive around some cones. They could really see how impaired vision can affect your driving.”

Windcreek used a state grant to build a mobile training center. The fully heated and air-conditioned trailer can be taken to different locations for employee training sessions. The trailer includes a computer, large screen and chairs, and allows the company to offer real-time training to employees.  

The company’s safety-first attitude extends beyond the workplace, Williamson says, adding that he saw an off-duty Windcreek truck using chock blocks in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

“Our employee was off the clock, but yet he was still embracing the safety culture we’ve created,” he says. “The worker didn’t even think twice about it (putting down the blocks) since safety is just part of who our workers are.”