Safety Services Company
Kerby Enterprises Inc. provides value-added Industrial, Commercial, and Residential products and services throughout the construction process. Kerby was founded by Gennis Kerby in 1982 with a mission to serve the local construction community. Over time, this family-owned business blossomed into the company it is today, with more than 100 employees.
Of the many industrial maintenance contracts that Kerby Enterprises services, occasionally there are contracts that require scaffolding to complete the job. For years, Kerby exclusively contracted with other vendors to build scaffolding because no one within the company had completed competent person safety training. OSHA requirements specify that when doing construction work using scaffolding, a trained competent person must inspect the scaffold and work environment before each work shift and after any occurrence to identify existing and predictable hazards.
Unfortunately, reliance on an external vendor meant that the job was put on hold while Kerby employees waited for scaffolding to be built. This wait added delay and hard costs for Kerby’s customers.
“Working on scaffolding isn’t something we do every day or every week. But when the contract requires it, we know there will be a delay to get the scaffolding built by those with the proper training.”
In an effort to minimize these delays, Kerby explored the option of providing competent person training for employees so they could minimize the time to complete the work. Having no luck finding local safety trainers in the greater Savannah, GA area, they took the search to the internet, where they found Safety Services Company.
Through conversations with Safety Services, they were able to check off their list of requirements and bonus items. When considering a safety training provider, they looked for a company that could provide competent person training, had OSHA authorized trainers, could deliver the training on-site at the Kerby facility, and all at a price that provided value.
“Safety Services is dedicated and understands the construction industry. They have a strong team of effective and dedicated safety advocates who can relate to our employees and deliver the strong safety message we need.”Kerby Enterprises
“Safety Services is dedicated and understands the construction industry. They have a strong team of effective and dedicated safety advocates who can relate to our employees and deliver the strong safety message we need.”
Although building scaffolding isn’t a daily or even weekly activity at Kerby, training employees makes sense from a cost and customer service perspective. With an on-site class, Kerby trained seven employees with competent person scaffolding training.
Being able to build their own scaffolding saves money in the sense that Kerby customers no longer experience delays in projects. They don’t have to outsource the project, which means they aren’t delayed by an outside schedule, and can get on the scaffold sooner. Having the ability to managing all aspects of a project is a game changer for those projects that require it.
“The customer service with Safety Services was great. When we had some hiccups in the planning, they jumped in and worked out a solution that everyone could get on board with. As additional training requirement arise, we’ll be turning to Safety Services.”