Safety is important for all industries, but for Metropolitan Utilities District it’s a priority, which is why we have a Safety Specialist. We talked with our Safety Specialist, Mark, to learn a bit more about what he does. Mark is responsible for District-wide safety and accident prevention with equipment, machinery, facilities and surroundings that involve exposure of employees or the public to safety hazards. He teaches classes for heavy equipment which trains them on how to operate the equipment safely and perform safety inspections on the vehicles.
On top of teaching classes, Mark also performs safety inspections in every department of the District. He checks that all fire extinguishers are up to date, first-aid kits are properly stocked, and looks for any safety hazards that could harm employees in their work areas.
Accident investigations are also part of his job. When an employee is in a vehicle accident or is injured on the job, Mark is there to document the accident. Some of our departments work 24 hours a day so Mark is always on stand-by.
Heavy equipment operators are required to have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). Mark is a third-party CDL examiner for the State of Nebraska. Employees will take the written test at the Department of Motor Vehicles and then Mark will spend a full day working with them on practice and driving tests for a CDL license. When they pass the driving test, employees will submit Mark’s report and return to the DMV to receive their license. Having safe drivers with the appropriate license is a very important part of the District’s safety requirements.
What Mark finds most satisfying about his job is finding a solution to a safety issue that an employee has brought to his attention. He loves teaching the safety classes and is happy when all employees can safely and accurately operator all equipment.
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