Safety Champions 2018
December 2018
Chris Hoy
Chris Hoy of UVA Facilities Management's Capital Construction & Renovations (CC&R) department has been selected as the December 2018 Safety Champion. Chris has been diligent about ensuring contractors working on the complex, multi-year University Hospital Expansion project abide by the safety requirements set forth by UVA FM. He is active in reaching out to Facilities Management's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) for guidance on various subjects such as crane pick plans. In addition, Chris is active in CC&R Safety Committee undertakings and other meetings within the Health System CC&R group where a focus on safety is needed. Chris has been instrumental in arranging project walkthroughs with general contractor personnel and OHS. He is open, engaging, and has provided valuable insight into ways OHS can continue to partner with CC&R as well as outside contractors. Chris is a great advocate for health and safety for both UVA FM employees as well as those that work on ground on FM projects.
November 2018
Ed de Bary & William Evans
Ed de Bary and William Evans have been selected as the November 2018 UVA Facilities Management Safety Champions. Ed and William both serve on the UVA FM Electrical Safety Focus Team, comprised of members from across UVA FM that regularly work with electricity or encounter electrical hazards. This dedicated team created UVA FM's Electrical Safety Program as well as made personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations that were adopted by FM. As a part of this team, Ed and William were tasked with creating an electrical safety training that complies with applicable regulations specifically for UVA FM employees. Not only did William and Ed create this training, they also teach it several times a year. More than 620 seats have been filled in their classes in the two years they have been training. Thanks to Ed and William, new and current FM employees are more protected by being taught to recognize electrical hazards in their assignments.
October 2018
Randy Campbell
Randy Campbell is UVA Facilities Management's October 2018 Safety Champion thanks to his ongoing efforts to be sure that his employees are working at the highest possible level of safety. Most recently, Randy has taken on the initiative of laboratory safety for FM employees, ensuring that employees and apprentices under his supervision are safe while providing a variety of support services in different types of laboratories on Grounds. He has gone above and beyond to protect his employees, integrating his professional experiences from the health system in order to identify possible hazards in the labs. He has worked to increase his employees' awareness of hazard identification and the related acute and/or chronic impacts of the identified hazards. He has documented the laboratory safety instruction process to ensure consistency of laboratory safety knowledge among his employees, as well as set up brief on-the-job training about laboratory safety prior to his new employees/apprentices entering lab spaces. Currently, Randy is collaborating closely with FM-OHS to providing a comprehensive/practical laboratory safety manual for Maintenance Zone employees. Thank you Randy for all your efforts and concerns about safety and your coworkers' health!
September 2018
Tanyia Moore
UVA Facilities Management is proud to recognize Tanyia Moore as FM's September 2018 Safety Champion. Tanyia is being recognized because, as a supervisor, she encourages a positive safety culture among her employees. Many of her employees are Safety Stars and have utilized the Near Miss reporting system without fear of getting in trouble. She leads by example and encourages others to work safely, creating a safety culture among her employees.
August 2018
Phil Brown
Phil Brown has been chosen as the August 2018 Safety Champion for University of Virginia Facilities Management. Phil was nominated by the UVA FM Health System Physical Plant (HSPP) Safety Committee for always having needed personal protective equipment (PPE) and proper tools on hand to ensure the job can get done safely, correctly, and on time. Although Phil declined to be photographed, his shop speaks for itself. The shop maintains regular hours and has a central location for employees to access as needed. Thank you, Phil, for always keeping your inventory stocked for FM's HSPP employees!
July 2018
Jesse Johnson
UVA Facilities Management is pleased to recognize Jesse Johnson as the July 2018 Safety Champion. Jesse has been a part of the Custodial Services Safety Committee for many years, offering input to make his and his colleagues' workplace safer. In addition to this service, during a recent series of rainy days Jesse went above and beyond his typical job duties when he blocked off the top of a flooded stairwell. Jesse knew that his chain of command would stand behind his decision to protect his coworkers from this unsafe situation. This is another seemingly small act that can add up to a much safer workplace. Kudos to Jesse for looking to create a ssafer workplace!
June 2018
Darrell Morris & Vu Nguyen
UVA Facilities Management would like to recognize Darrell Morris, carpenter, and Vu Nguyen, carpenter apprentice, as the Safety Champions for June 2018. Darrell and Vu were working together in Poe Alley on McCormick Road, and as Darrell was coming off the scaffold, he saw an elderly gentleman fall in the alley. Darrell ran over to help, but the gentleman was non-responsive. Darrell quickly yelled up to Vu who was on the scaffold to call 911. Darrell and Vu didn't stop there! Vu acted fast and started chest compressions and rescue breaths, all while the 911 dispatcher remained on the line supporting them through the situation. Two military personnel then approached with an AED machine; and they took over the compressions and shocked the gentleman as the Charlottesville Fire Department arrived at the scene and continued administering emergency treatment. Through everyone's efforts, this gentleman was breathing on his own as he left to receive further treatment! From beginning to end, Darrell and Vu acted quickly, remained calm, acted as a team, and did everything they could to help everyone, especially the gentleman, through a frightening situation. Kudos to Darrell and Vu for your compassion to put others first. UVA is proud to have you in the FM Family!
May 2018
Page Fox
UVA Facilities Management is proud to recognize Page Fox as the Safety Champion for May 2018. Page received his nomination for Safety Champion when he witnessed a young lady wearing sandals cut her foot on a piece of metal left in a patio from the removal of a picnic table. Page recognized the problem could be easily mitigated and had a work order created so he could remove these pieces. Page's colleagues are quick to say that Page is always looking out for his colleagues and the students at UVA. Page's actions may seem small, but the regular reduction of hazards like this helps keep our colleagues from getting hurt. Thank you, Page, for your conscientious effort to improve safety for everyone!
April 2018
Kevin Beal
UVA Facilities Management would like to recognize Kevin Beal as Safety Champion for April 2018. Kevin has worked hard as the chair of the Landscape & Recycling Safety Committee over the last several years. He has helped create chainsaw training and trailer user training, and elevated safety concerns to keep FM employees out of harm's way. Most recently, he has taken the initiative to have signs placed on the FM fuel pumps to remind employees of the dangers of improperly handling gasoline. UVA FM is grateful for all of Kevin's (and his committee's) efforts to keep our colleagues safe!
March 2018
Phillip Cabell & Norman Hughes
The UVA Facilities Management Safety Champions for March are Norman Hughes and Phillip Cabell. As part of the FM Alderman Custodial Services team, Phillip and Norman are always on the lookout for how safety can be improved, from adding warning signs to keeping cords properly stored. However, in addition to this, Norman and Phillip went above and beyond during a recent period of freezing rain: Several downspouts had stopped up, and sheets of ice were quickly forming in areas frequented by pedestrians. Before anyone could get hurt, Phillip and Norman were on the scene, scattering ice melt and/or taping areas off as needed. Phillip and Norman are shining examples of taking a proactive approach to safety, mitigating hazards before anyone is exposed or gets hurt.
February 2018
Randy Spencer
Randy Spencer is the University of Virginia Facilities Management Safety Champion for February 2018 because of his quick thinking during the UVA Bicentennial Celebration Kickoff Weekend. He noticed an unsafe issue and worked quickly to correct the situation. Because of his safety knowledge, he knew he could count on his leadership to stand behind his decision and he had the confidence to speak up and divert a potentially unsafe event. Because of Randy's actions, a number of injuries were prevented.
January 2018
Mike Duffy
Facilities Management Occupational Health & Safety is privileged to recognize Mike Duffy as the Facilities Management January 2018 Safety Champion. As FM's Transportation Operations and Fleet Manager, Mike took action when many of the same model FM vehicles were turning up with similar brake problems. In addition to remedying the reported defects, he initiated a fleet-wide safety check of all of that make and model. He took defective vehicles out of service and elevated the issue to University-wide. Mike's actions resulted in a “global concern report”, which prompts the manufacturer to further review the condition of these vehicles worldwide. Mike's fleet experience and keen mechanical aptitude kept hazardous vehicles off the road and prevented many possible accidents.