In August 2011, Barriere created the Safety Recognition and Rewards Program to acknowledge and reward our field employees for positive safety behavior. This Program, which is monitored by the Safety Committee, was instituted to continually educate our employees, and to ensure that our workforce stays up-to-date on all of the proper safety-related work practices.

In the first 4 months of the Program, Field Supervisors and the Safety Committee issued $7,800 in gift cards to 58 employees who displayed exemplary safety behavior. In several instances, the Safety Committee awarded additional funds to employees who identified and/or prevented situations where a serious accident had the potential of occurring. We would like to congratulate and thank the following employees for their continued dedication to safety:

In addition to the rewards distributed to individual employees, the Safety Committee hosted two Quarterly Safety Lunch Talks in 2011. The goal of these lunches is to educate and train each crew – making sure every field employee is aware of the safety initiatives Barriere is promoting. At the first lunch, which was held in September, employees discussed the topic of Safe Zones. The second lunch, which was held in December, focused on the necessary precautions when working around overhead and underground utilities. Both lunches were extremely informative, and the Safety Committee gathered valuable insight from all of the employee feedback.

As we have for many years, Barriere owes much of its success to the safe work practices and high safety standards that our employees uphold. Barriere is committed to the safety of our employees through continuous Safety Training and Awareness initiatives, and this particular program is a visible sign that our employees will be rewarded for speaking up and taking a leading role in safety. With proper training and continued awareness, we are confident that we can reach our company-wide goal of zero accidents.

Thank you for your efforts to keep yourself, your co-workers, and the public safe. Keep up the good work!