For the first time in recent memory, the aroma behind Allied Waste in Kent was something people were breathing in and enjoying.
That’s because on Feb. 5 the company celebrated its safety numbers by throwing a special barbecue for its workers, complete with chicken, ribs, pork and all the fixin’s.
According to General Manager Chris Guimond, Allied Waste reduced its number of accidents or injuries to a single event in January, a minor incident that cost the company less than $250.
“That’s 86 percent safer than last year,” Guimond said.
According to Guimond, Allied Waste is already a safety leader in the industry, but the safety metric for January – in which any incident from an injury to cutting a corner too close and treading on a lawn is measured – is “pretty amazing.”
For the month of January, the company’s “safety frequency” was approximately 8 percent, meaning on any given day there was an 8 percent chance of an incident. In January of 2009, that number was 35 percent.
Guimond said the Kent-based company, which serves much of southern King County, has 70 trucks on the road daily for a total of more than 175,000 stops each week.
Guimond said the celebration, including the food, which was prepared by Jeff Bennett, was a way to reward the staff and recognize them for their good work and an attempt to make such safety concerns part of the culture at Allied.
“That’s what this barbecue is all about,” Guimond said.
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