Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85919
ware to capture direct and indirect equipment costs, performance and price history and can pull up the specs by groups or individually. "We measure every machine against the average and if one individual machine stands out, we'll know pretty quick." Theft prevention is also something Cosper likes about the new digital technology. A fresh look at safety Safety is important to any success- ful contractor. To Steve Cosper the most important thing about his safety program is that it be real and relevant. Granite's project managers include (from back to front) Dave Yungfleisch, Brad Whaley, Hamp Hager and assistant project manager Chris Harrell. of it its GPS technology is in site inspections. "Before we start any grading job we throw the GPS on a four-wheeler and run the site, just to establish a grade," Cosper says. That clears up any discrepancies between the site plans and the real- ity on the ground. In the past Co- sper says he's had to move dirt that was on the ground but not on the paper and that can be an expensive oversight. "Before we stick one bucket in the ground we resolve these disputes and get a change order upfront rather than arguing about it down the road," he says. "It's a big 35e June 2012 Better Roads money saver – straight to the bottom line." PMs and performance Cosper says Vision Link and other telematics systems Granite Contract- ing uses have improved the reliabil- ity of their preventive maintenance and equipment utilization. "We thought we were pretty good at scheduling PM until we got on this, and its helped more than anything else we've done," he says. He also says that reports can help identify under utilized assets. The company also uses its telematics and back office soft- Rather than use the traditional approach, which often winds up stigmatizing employees as the bad guys, Cosper believes that safety works best when it's grounded in reality and not just for show. "Hav- ing these thick, three ring binders full of material might look impres- sive, but nobody reads them. They have no impact," Cosper says. Instead, for the last 10 years he has used Robert Taylor, a safety con- sultant, to study his operations and make recommendations and estab- lish common sense policies. "We wanted to make it very specific to what we do and noth- ing that we don't do. That has been a key," Cosper says. "We tie safety performance to pay and to stay- ing employed. New hires learn our safety expectations on a buddy system for the first six months. We don't do things just to meet guide- lines or checklists. We make it a culture. Employees are treated with respect and each employee "owns" the safety program. We want our kids' dads to come home every night," he says. People skills None of this happens without good people. And finding and keeping