As an environmental surveying, consulting and permitting company in industries from oil and gas to mining to nuclear energy, Merjent Inc. regularly sends teams to remote areas.
Each potential job has its own litany of risks, which the management team assesses before bidding on or accepting a job. Merjent examines the safety, health and financial risk associated with the work and determines if proper precautions can be taken to protect its workers.
"If travel places Merjent personnel in areas of unreasonable risk, the work opportunity will not be pursued," says Dan Hannan, Merjent vice president and safety officer.
Depending on the area, discussions can even involve local law enforcement.
The chief safety officer is part of the management team, making sure safety has a voice at the executive level, which goes a long way in Merjent's support of a "wants to be safe" culture rather than a "has to be safe" culture.
In addition to its Safety Training Plan, which tracks training needs, Merjent also provides each employee with $2,500 annually toward continuing education and professional development training.
Because Merjent is a prime contractor and annually works with about a dozen contractors, the company decided to hold a Subcontractor Safety Summit last winter. During the summit, Merjent met with subcontractors to discuss client requirements, regulatory requirements and best practices.
"Merjent believes it has an obligation to support and assist those they work with by helping them improve their programs and approach to safety," Hannan says. "Subcontractors are becoming familiar with Merjent's safety standards that now must be met in order to earn our business."
Merjent Inc.
Minneapolis, Minn.
110 employees/
2 EHS professionals
Environmental surveying,
consulting
and permitting