Gary E. Bird Horizon Award
1999 Winner—Gayle Jones and George Bragg (Development of a Cutting-Edge
Crane Safety Program)
Ms. Gayle Jones of Snyder Langston and Mr. George Bragg of Bragg Crane Services
were honored at the 19th IRMI Construction Risk Conference with the first IRMI
Construction Risk Management Best Practices Award for their development of a
highly effective crane safety program. Together, these two companies clarified
and documented a set of crane safety requirements and took a firm stance on
strict adherence to these standards. As a result, they have had only one minor
crane accident in 8 years that produced minor property damage but no injuries.
This award was created by International Risk Management Institute, Inc. (IRMI),
to recognize individuals and companies who have demonstrated a commitment to
improving construction risk management through the implementation of innovative,
cost-effective, and efficient risk management techniques. In addition to recognition,
winners receive complimentary registration, travel, and lodging to the next
IRMI Construction Risk Conference.
"We all know that, too often, risk managers only get attention when things
go wrong. Our objectives in creating this award are to acknowledge some individuals
for 'things done right' and to encourage others in the industry to be innovative
in developing their own 'best practices,'" explained Jack Gibson, IRMI president,
to the 1,100 attendees of the Conference. "The crane safety program developed
by Snyder Langston and Bragg Crane Services embodies the type of best practice
that I hope to honor every year at this Conference. Their willingness to share
their program with the rest of the industry is to be applauded."
The crane safety manual developed by Gayle Jones and George Bragg is available
for viewing or downloading at the bottom of this page.
A panel of industry experts, selected by IRMI, judged the award submissions.
Judges' comments about the winning submission included:
"This firm should be commended for identifying a problem and turning it into
a competitive advantage for their firm. The firm should see positive public
relations, safer job sites, reduced workers compensation and insurance costs,
and, therefore, higher profits. My hope is that this firm shares their program
with the rest of the construction world."
"The Mobile Crane Safety Manual Policies and Procedures is an effective loss
control tool. This loss control technique is highlighted by the accident that
occurred at Miller Park in Milwaukee. The cost of that accident should have
insurance carriers drooling for clients who employ this technique and should
reward them with credits on their liability policies!"
"They took on a serious issue with a different approach and wouldn't back
down until others saw things their way. This is an excellent program that addresses
an important issue."
The other two finalists for the award were Jim Boone, risk manager of J.S.
Alberici Construction, for developing and implementing the "Safecap" process
for identifying and correcting unsafe behaviors on job sites and Jeffrey M.
Lange, safety and risk manager for Kitchell Corporation, for the development,
implementation, and refinement-over a 10-year period-of a sophisticated process
for managing subcontract risks.