Aaron Lecrone spent 13 years as a pile driver in residential marine construction before becoming a crane operator. He didn’t always have such an affinity for safety, sharing that he was “the guy wearing swim trunks, no shirt, and sandals while he was pile driving.” Nowadays, Aaron attributes his interest in safety in large part to real world experience and unfortunately witnessing a lot of accidents first-hand. Aaron shared that most safety policies are “written in blood”, established because something awful happened, but challenges the notion that it should take an accident to instigate changes. Aaron feels that “safety is an easy and conscientious thing that we can do every day”. We sat down with Aaron to learn more about his perspective on safety!
What is your biggest safety pet-peeve? General cleanliness and organization. Organization goes so far in creating a safe work environment!
What is a common hurdle to a safe work site? We get comfortable with the environment and become less observant and less aware, less effected by what we see every day.
What role does mentorship play in safety culture? Mentorship is critical and I definitely see that in the industry veterans at Crofton. They are really good about taking new people under their wing. The crane operating team at Crofton has been extremely welcoming to me since making the transition. It’s been heartwarming how they’ve accepted me as a newcomer to this part of the industry.
What is an easy way someone can create a safer work environment? Take time on the front end to take care of safety. It may feel in the moment like we are sacrificing timeline, but in the long run it will save us if we are preventing accidents.
What would you say to up and comers in this industry? Be open to the advice and guidance of your colleagues. Don’t be complacent. Slow down and pay attention.
