GUCA held its 2022 GUCA Hard Hat Safety Award Gala March 24, 2022, to honor the 2021 Hard Hat Safety Award recipients. Awards were presented to members dedicated to making safety a priority for every employee.

GUCA members and guests gathered at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta, Ga., to celebrate safety awareness and recognize the overall winners from the chosen category winners.

The GUCA 2021 Hard Hat Safety Award is composed of categories based upon type of work, plant or pipeline construction, and company man-hours.

By creating these different categories, GUCA was able to distinguish six companies who excelled in applying their safety programs to all of their workers and on job sites. The category winners for the 2021 GUCA Hard Hat Safety Award are as follows:

• 50,001 to 200,000 Man-Hours Pipeline Contractor RDJE Inc., Newnan, Ga.;
• 200,001 to 500,000 Man-Hours Pipeline Contractor Reeves Construction Company, Augusta, Ga.;
• 500,0001 to 1,000,000 Man-Hours Pipeline Contractor Strack Inc., Fairburn, Ga.;
• 1 Million Plus Man-Hours Pipeline Contractor Brent Scarbrough & Company Inc., Newnan, Ga.;
• 0 to 500,000 Man-Hours Plant Contractor Western Summit Constructors Inc., Alpharetta, Ga.;
• 501,000 to 1,000,000 Man-Hours Plant Contractor C.A. Murren & Sons Company Inc., Grayson, Ga.

"Category winners are chosen on a number of judging criteria including written safety program, number of employees who have received OSHA required training such as Competent Person Excavation, Confined Space Entry, and CPR/First Aid/AED Training," said Scott Brumbelow, GUCA executive director.

As with all awards, there must be an overall winner. These companies went above and beyond others and consistently put safety in the forefront for each employee and for each job undertaken by the company, GUCA added.

"GUCA is proud of all members that raise the bar for safety and help set the standard for the utility construction industry. GUCA members are exposed to hazards each and every day and we must continue to reward our members that go beyond what is expected by industry professionals, OSHA and other regulatory agencies," the association said.

Reeves Construction Company

Wayne Chance, Reeves Construction Company

Reeves Construction Company is the winner of this year's overall Pipeline Division Hard Hat Safety Award.

"Our safety culture is just that, a culture instilled in our employees. It becomes a culture not when safety is viewed by employees as a requirement but when it is viewed as necessity.

"Safety culture is beyond the job site. It is an everyday mission that follows the employee in their personal vehicle, into their home, and into every aspect of their life in order to be successful."

Western Summit Constructors Inc.

Jared Saunders, Western Summit Constructors Inc.

"At its core, our people are our safety program," Western Summit Constructors said.

"Our goal of 'Nobody Gets Hurt' starts with management and communication where everyone has a voice. Our people and their safety come first, which transcends insurance savings, financial gains, or any other metric."

For more information about GUCA, visit www.guca.com.

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