Hazard Hunting Results in Safety Improvements

Competition was fierce, but we have the winners of the Hazard Hunter contest! Between March 1 and March 31, teams at PDRMA member agencies went on the hunt for tripping conditions. The stakes? Bragging rights, a $250 participation award and an energized safety culture throughout the agency.

Members submitted before-and-after photos — or at least plans for how to address the hazard — via email in three areas of competition: Gnarliest Hazard, Best Non-parkie Hazard and Seasonal Star. And the winners are…

Gnarliest Award — Arlington Heights Park District

Arlington Heights Park District rose to the Hazard Hunter challenge, fielding five teams with a total of nine entries and snagging the Gnarliest Hazard award for its Movers and Shakers team. Roberto Martinez, Alex Gilland, Fermin Gutierrez and Marlon Tabamo (all Parks staff) discovered a metal signpost sheared to a dangerous point.

According to Training and Safety Specialist Pat Klawitter, the agency was all in for the contest from the start. “We wrote an article in our e-newsletter, posted flyers at all timeclocks, sent emails and had our supervisors talk up the competition at staff meetings.

“We gave teams instructions on how to determine a hazard and the requirements for addressing the hazard,” Klawitter recalls. “The Movers and Shakers were performing routine maintenance when the team found the broken sign post. The guys removed the piece of sharp, protruding metal from the ground and installed a new sign post in its place.”

The win was a welcome surprise, according to Klawitter, and the competition was a hit with everyone. “Our staff said the contest was fun. It encouraged everyone to look around more at work sites and parks. The goal was to encourage staff to see safety hazards and report and/or fix them,” she notes, “and I think we met that goal.”

To reward the top hunters for their efforts, the Arlington Heights Safety Committee will treat the agency’s first-, second- and third-place teams to a boxed lunch. “The program was a big hit,” Klawitter reports, “and I have lots of ideas for an even better one next year!”

Non-parkie Award — Homewood-Flossmoor Park District

Creating a safety culture is everyone’s business, and the Non-parkie Award demonstrates that very well. Homewood-Flossmoor is responsible for 30 parks and 13 facilities, and the agency used emails and a safety luncheon to get the word out about the competition.

Sharon Dangles, Superintendent of Finance and Administration, noted that each facility organized its own efforts, with Iron Oaks Environmental Center finishing on top. “There was a cracked piece of concrete noticed on a safety walk by Receptionist Leslie White who identified it as a tripping hazard.”

While the agency waits for warmer weather to apply a concrete patch, Dangles said the Safety Committee will review all contest entries to ensure they address the hazards and will discuss additional rewards — beyond the satisfaction of improving their safety culture.

“The contest helps staff be more aware of safety issues, and everyone enjoyed looking for hazards as a team,” Dangles explains. “Safety is always at the forefront of our minds, and the Hazard Hunter contest reminded us to look at the details; we’re looking forward to participating next year.”

Seasonal Star Award — Wauconda Park District

The Wauconda Park District used the Hazard Hunter contest as a training opportunity by incorporating it into its Employee Incentive Program, according to Mark Ftacek, Administrative Support Supervisor. “Our staff is divided into seven teams, and once or twice a year we plan to do something fun. For March, we chose the Hazard Hunter contest,” explains Ftacek. “Each week, I informed our teams what hazards were found and which team found them to keep the momentum going to search for hazards. We received 15 entries throughout the month.”

The winners — Club/Rec & Beach Department team — reported an exposed culvert and an 8” to 12” deep hole by a walkway area. “I think it won the Seasonal Star award partly because of its location — close to a parking lot/walkway area,” he adds. “When the team found the hazard, we put cones and caution signs around it until we can fix it.”

The agency will honor the Club/Rec & Beach Department team with a breakfast or lunch party, and plans are underway to recognize more team submissions. “Our staff had a lot of fun with this contest,” Ftacek says. “One team got creative, putting a banana peel on the ground in an office along with a sign that said, ‘Beware the Minions!’ It was a great program to make staff more aware of finding — and fixing — tripping hazards.”