From South Miami to West Palm Beach, Alfredo Ruiz’s weekly rounds take him around South Florida, visiting KHS&S job sites throughout the region.
He’s been with the company since 2011, but his career in construction started much earlier.
Ruiz is a second-generation carpenter who began learning the trade from his father as a little boy. As a young man, he had a business installing windows and doors. He joined KHS&S as a welder on the construction project at Marlins Park in Miami, then did other jobs, such as framing, board hanging and board finishing, before being promoted to regional safety manager.
With his lifetime of construction experience, Ruiz knows what it takes to earn people’s respect on the job site.
He respects them first.
“I’ve been in their shoes,” he says, “so I know how people sometimes perceive safety professionals. I’ve learned what not to do from my own personal experience. I don’t want to be a policeman; I’m an educator.”
Ruiz says he checks in on every job site at least once every week, and that each site can have up to 375 workers. “I feel personally responsible for hundreds of crew members,” he says.
He explains that the first step to avoiding injuries or worse on the job site is to ensure that KHS&S always complies with all OSHA federal and state regulations.
The next step is going above and beyond to build a culture of safety.
“I like creating a safe work environment for our employees. Training and giving the employees the tools that they need to be successful in performing their job is incredibly rewarding,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz’s hobbies include barbecuing with the family, fishing, going to the beach, and golfing with his dad. Born in Chicago, he has also lived in Orlando and Baton Rouge before relocating to Hollywood, Fla., where he now lives and works.
He’s proud to have come from an entry level position to where he is today because of KHS&S’s culture of promoting from within.
“So many of the employees I work with have been with KHS&S for 20 or even 30 years,” he says. “I hope one day I can say the same.”