Jesey Rodriguez has spent most of his construction industry career in a safety role. First as a safety supervisor, then safety manager, and now as a safety director for KHS&S-East Coast.
Conducting detailed safety audits to identify and correct potential safety hazards is the “what” of his job. For Rodriguez, the “why” behind it is infinitely more important.
“My goal is that everyone goes home safely to their families every day,” he says. “It’s incredibly rewarding.”
His primary responsibility is keeping employees, the company, and the surrounding community safe from hazards, while preventing workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses.
Doing so requires a constant flow of audits, inspections, training, incident management, reporting, safety planning, observing and interacting with employees, leadership, government regulatory agencies, and other companies.
Rodriguez knows he can’t do his job alone – it’s a team effort. He trusts others, whose job titles don’t officially include “safety,” to help make sure KHS&S job sites are safe for employees and everyone around them.
He travels to job sites with an eye toward continuously improving and simplifying job site safety. While there, he takes the opportunity to invest his time and energy in employees, especially to give them a well-deserved pat on the back.
Using KHS&S online management tools streamlines his day-to-day work by remotely accessing important documents, checklists, and data. Moving from traditional paper records to digital has given him greater flexibility with tasks, even when not on a job site.
While he helps to ensure his co-workers get home safely to their families, he looks forward to spending time with his as well. That often includes barbeques, board games, playing basketball at the local YMCA, and creating fun contests and games for his kids.
“Instead of nagging or yelling at our children, we all participated in a game so we can get everyone out the door on time,” he says. “First one ready for school got the special breakfast plate and a reward.”
For Rodriguez, keeping a positive attitude with those around him – whether at home or at work – helps make the environment more productive and fun.
His bottom line is making KHS&S a place where people want to work, and embrace the industry’s highest safety standards.
“As safety professionals, there’s no greater achievement than helping people care as much about safety as we do,” Rodriguez says. “So they’ll want to participate and keep it that way.”