Member Spotlight - Gulf States, Inc.

Erick Forshee
erick.forshee@gsiusa.com
Gulf States, Inc

What business are you in?

In our Michigan Operations scope GSI performs maintenance, small projects, and capital project construction in several of Dow Chemical’s Michigan locations. Projects range from maintenance, to process reconfiguration, and new construction of process facilities. We perform work as a general mechanical contractor and an electrical contractor, self performing 90 percent of contracts including mechanical, civil, electrical, structural, plumbing, and insulation. We employ a wide variety of trades, including pipe fitters, carpenters, electricians, instrument technicians, ironworkers, millwrights, welders, insulators, scaffold/builders as well as multi-crafts.

How has a good safety record positively impacted your bottom line?

Aside from the obvious, I would say improved employee productivity, morale, and retention. Not to mention client satisfaction.

What future steps are you planning to maintain and improve your safety record?
Having an incident free work environment can only be achieved through the combined efforts of all employees. Senior Management must take the leading role and employees must participate by planning work tasks, following safe practices, intervening with others, using tools and equipment according to their design, and analyzing their work habits to ensure they are safe.

Gulf States, Inc. as a company will strive to meet the following objectives:

Provide resources necessary to be in compliance with the policies, standards, and procedures of Gulf States, Inc., it’s clients and regulator agencies
Integrate safety methodology into the work planning and execution processes
Continue to utilize our people base safety process of involving field level employees in the accident prevention process
Provide training for employees, managers to perform work safely
Provide the equipment, and tools necessary to perform work safely
Use leading metrics as well as trailing metrics to measure performance
Investigate failures using the “Apollo Root Cause Analysis” method

How long have you been a member of Great Lakes Safety Training Center?

Over the past five years that we have been a member it has proved to be valuable. As I stated the consistency in training provide by Great Lakes Safety is very beneficial. They reinforce the safety culture we have developed. I would like to thank the staff for their over whelming support.

Do you utilize the provided specialized training programs?

Yes

What advantages do you see to being a GLSTC member?

There is a consistent message across the member contractor community that safety is number one. With the consistent training, we know that our member subcontractors working with our crafts side by side each day have the same safety training. The companies they work for are just as committed as we are to sending everyone home safe each day.

Who do you attribute your safety successes to?

Our dedicated work force and strong safety culture “It’s a package deal”. They are dedicated to going home each day the same way they came to work. If they were not we wouldn’t be able to keep good people or attract new. Likewise, if we weren’t doing quality work we wouldn’t have been able to either.

I would also have to give credit the Dow Chemical personnel we work with each day. Their efforts in providing a safe working environment in their facilities each and every day have help Gulf States, Inc. send each and every employee home safe every day in 2007. We value their support!

Last Updated On: 02/29/2008

Member Spotlight - Gulf States, Inc.

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