A deeply rooted safety culture has powered I.B. Abel’s ability to deliver service excellence for our clients since the company’s founding in 1913. From safety protocols and training programs to ensuring the team is equipped with the right tools and resources to execute their work safely, we are intentional and proactive about keeping our team and those we work alongside safe every day. At I.B. Abel, we have one of the most robust and rigorous safety programs in the industry and we are steadfast in our journey to continuously improve. This level of commitment is achieved by empowering every team member to value safety through all phases of our work, implementing best practices before, during, and after every electrical construction project.
We also recognize the industries we serve have specialized safety needs and we take great care in ensuring the team has the knowledge and equipment for all projects. Collaborating with clients and contractor partners is key for complete safety alignment, and we take the extra step to also meet their specific, required safety procedures. Our goal is zero injuries and zero incidents to ensure everyone’s lives are valued, as we stay committed to looking ahead and leading the way.
Since 2010, we have reduced our OSHA incident rates by 400% and nearly eliminated lost-time injuries while concurrently tripling our workload and expanding our capabilities.
How have we achieved this level of safety for our crews and quality for our clients? From our onboarding training program to strategic post-project processes, our team is attentive to what sets everyone up for success when providing services to the utility, communications, and electrical construction markets. Our Safety & Quality Department is at the helm of company-wide efforts to deliver excellence in safety, quality, and cost efficiency for our clients.
Before a Project Begins
While a rigorous onboarding training program is completed by all new hires, the skills, safety, and leadership training continues throughout their entire I.B. Abel careers through ongoing training opportunities. We combine mentorship, human performance coaching, and hands-on experiences with safety and skills- related video insights (designed with the microlearning concept in mind for optimized intake and retention) to keep team members up to date with current best practices and site-specific preparation techniques. As technology has advanced over the years, we’ve utilized its many capabilities to equip our team with efficient ways of receiving Toolbox Talks and Lessons Learned videos. While I.B. Abel crews stand ready to deliver services with excellence, our Safety & Quality Department takes the time up front to conduct thorough site-specific safety plans for every project during the pre-construction process.
Throughout All Project Phases
After our crews have mobilized to a jobsite, each day begins with a pre-job briefing or morning huddle to address upcoming, ongoing, or recently discovered safety concerns and ways to mitigate risks. These briefings often require revisiting the safety plans and adjusting to avoid hazards without compromising product quality and results. Throughout all project phases, our safety professionals and leadership team conduct safety observation audits (confirming all tasks are performed in compliance) and field leadership audits (confirming all working behaviors of leadership personnel and open lines of communication for employees to work safely, efficiently, and with the freedom to voice any concerns).
As part of our commitment to empowering every team member to actively ensure safe working environments, we reinforce participation in our Good Catch program. This initiative recognizes and rewards individuals for being proactive and making observations of hazardous circumstances, keeping themselves and others out of harm’s way. The Safety & Quality Department completes a Post-Incident Investigation and Root Cause Analysis for any incidents that occur and distributes a Lessons Learned video to everyone in the company; this is followed for any incident, including even minor cuts and muscle strains.
After a Project is Completed
Concluding each project, our team reflects on lessons learned and efficiencies gained from a safety perspective and adapts those findings for continued excellence in the results and experience we provide. Our attention to construction safety is at the forefront of all we do, and the ongoing learning continues throughout every employee’s electrical career journey. In addition to the safety and quality results, we also reflect on team performance, leadership communication, and proactively discuss our approach to continue looking ahead and leading the way in electrical construction.
Staying Innovative in an Ever-Changing Industry: I.B. Abel’s Safety-Focused Mobile App
Currently, our Safety & Quality Department is developing and testing an I.B. Abel custom-created mobile app, built to empower the team with safety best practices and trade-specific tips. As part of our commitment to positively impacting the industry, this app will also be available to other business owners, field leadership teams, electrical engineers, linemen, and more. This new app is a part of our team’s efforts to stay innovative in how we educate and communicate in the ever-changing world of construction and electrical work. Stay tuned to learn more.
As a key part of the company’s culture, our Safety & Quality Department focuses on always improving safety and quality for our team and clients. While each is essential to our approach to projects, the value they add when advanced consistently together is unmatched.
“I’ve been with I.B. Abel since 1995, starting out as an apprentice and working through different roles from a Journeyman, Estimator, Account Manager to now being part of the Safety & Quality team. Throughout my career time out in the field, my clients were always very safety-conscious, and it inspired me to pursue this role that is dedicated to helping our entire team continue learning and focusing on ways to work, act, and improve safely.”
– Tony W., Manager of Safey and Quality ES/CS
“When I got out of the service back in 1995, I became an inside wireman. I went through the apprenticeship and felt I was more ambitious to be outside doing something more similar to my time in the service. I gained experience through that apprenticeship and was later able to work for a utility where I had a management role and was involved with process and improvement committees. This really inspired me to transition to a role where my main focus is workplace safety.”
– Ed M., Vice President, Support Services
Thank you, Ed and Tony, for your leadership and commitment to serving our team, clients, and industry with excellence and for your dedication to keeping everyone in the workplace safe! We also thank our employees for staying committed to our safety protocols and embracing the many ways we enforce electrical construction safety.
If you are interested in being a part of the I.B. Abel team, are looking into electrical construction careers, or want to learn more about the apprenticeship program, check out our available career opportunities. For questions or to hear more about our competitive benefits, training and mentorship programs, and our culture, reach out to humanresources@ib-abel.com.
