Making Safety a Priority
Craig Ruyle, P.E., NYSDOT Regional Construction Engineer
More than 70 private and municipal construction employees, project managers and engineers attended LICA’s 2017 Safety Seminar this past Friday. This annual event is part of LICA’s commitment to help keep our members—and all industry workers—safe from harm as they build, maintain and improve our Island’s critical infrastructure. After opening the meeting, LICA Executive Director Marc Herbst handed the mic to NYSDOT Regional Construction Engineer Craig Ruyle, P.E., who welcomed the attendees and thanked them for their participation at the seminar, as well as their ongoing dedication to making safety a top priority, noting that our Region (Region 10) boasts the highest safety rating in the state.
This year’s interactive “Roadway Safety Plus” seminar was led once again by Brad Sant, Esq., Senior Vice President, Safety & Education for ARTBA (American Road & Transportation Builders Association), who was joined by Bruce Drewes, Instructional Consultant & Owner of 3T Group. In addition to the many standard safety, prevention and protection issues addressed, our seminar also touched upon additional areas of interest including OSHA’s General Duty Clause as well as new OSHA rules and regulations on Silica and Confined Space Hazards. This comprehensive course was approved for 4 PDH (Professional Development Hours) Credits for qualified engineers who attended the seminar.
The afternoon session, dedicated to safe digging and how to avoid the hazards of hidden underground utilities, was hosted by 811 New York (call before you dig!) and led by their Damage Prevention Liaison, Michael T. Murtha. This portion of the seminar is particularly important to many members who have real-life issues, questions and concerns regarding proper marking and digging procedures, which can prove to have grave consequences if not followed precisely. LICA would like to thank all our presenters, as well as the attendees, for making safety a top priority. We wish everyone a safe and happy 2017.
