Assurance Media announced it has achieved Platinum in Associated Builders and Contractor’s STEP Safety Management System. Founded in 1989, STEP participation demonstrates safety leadership and a cultural commitment to safety performance.

STEP applicants measure their safety processes and policies on 25 key components through a detailed questionnaire with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce jobsite incidents. Assurance Media has excelled in the area of safety by implementing First Aid and CPR training, Toolbox talks, Project Manager site checklists, and investing in additional safety equipment. While experiencing tremendous growth the company has never strayed away from its value of safety.

Vice Principal Mark Stellini frequently says “Our number one goal is to make sure everyone goes home to their families every night” when he addresses the team.

Safety is very integrated into the culture at Assurance Media from New Teammate Orientation to Monthly Safety Meetings. First, safety training is introduced to teammates from the very beginning when they undergo New Teammate Orientation. During orientation, teammates learn about the company and they cannot fully learn about Assurance Media without understanding the company's core value of safety. The company's principal explains the company's safety performance data, our safety vision, and the responsibilities of each employee in terms of safety.

After orientation, each employee undergoes OSHA 10 training and each foreman undergoes OSHA 30 training provided by the company. In addition, monthly in-house safety training is held and it is required that all field technicians attend. The monthly safety meeting is conducted by the company's safety coordinator and the service manager. This is an interactive training that covers a different topic every month based on the situations seen recently on job sites. For instance, if there was a near miss due to a lack of cones on the job site then cones would be the safety topic chosen for the following month. The service manager holds safety meetings immediately in the case of an accident that could have been avoided.

Assurance Media is continually working on bettering the company's safety procedures, processes, and methods. The STEP application is an excellent tool to measure ourselves against in order to set future safety goals and celebrate our advances in safety.

“An industry-wide commitment to total human health is essential to ensure both the physical and mental health and safety of our workforce,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development. “As a STEP participant, Assurance Media's leadership has demonstrated a commitment to create the conditions for all to do their work without incident. By implementing proactive safety measures, such as emergency preparedness plans and a sound personal protective equipment policy, Assurance Media is committed to consistently raising the bar when it comes to safety performance.”

According to ABC’s annual Safety Performance Report, applying STEP processes dramatically improves safety performance among participants regardless of company size or type of work, and can reduce recordable incidents up to 88%, making the best performing companies 827% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average. Ratings range from Diamond, the highest, to Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Participant.