Newsletter
President's Message
Message from the President,
As Texans, we can be proud of our accomplishments and we are not shy about letting the rest of the country know about them. However, one aspect in which we cannot be proud of is the number of fatalities we’ve experienced in our industry in this state. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the 2018 data for the entire country showing a huge increase in fatalities related to our industry from the previous year. While the 2019 data is not yet officially out, it appears that Texas will lead the country in the number of fatalities.
These fatalities affected both the public and private sectors and spanned the state. This trend appears to be continuing as Texas was the location of the first fatality in the country in 2020, just two days after the start of the year. This trend needs to stop and you are part of the solution to do so. As leaders in our industry, we need to put the safety of our employees over all other considerations, including cost and production. I can assure you it is much easier to talk to an elected official or citizen about a delay in service than it is to console a family who has just lost a loved one or to your employees that have lost a coworker.
There is an employee at the City of Austin that has a sign on his office door that states, “Asking me to overlook a simple safety violation would be asking me to compromise my entire attitude toward the value of your life”. Ladies and gentlemen, if you see unsafe behaviors, address them, and if you see hazardous conditions, correct them.
Let’s make Texas and our employees proud by striving for zero injuries, accidents, and fatalities.
Sincerely,
Richard McHale
