NPMA Safety Summit Reminds Industry of Safety's Significant Role

CHICAGO — Safety was the topic for leaders gathered at NPMA’s Safety Summit in Chicago on April 14. Described as an industry meeting to collect and share information among professionals of all titles in the industry, the summit centered on discussing its number one goal — keeping people safe.

According to Billy Tesh, president, Pest Management Systems, making safety a company-wide program was his biggest goal when creating a safety effort.

“It's very important because in our company, we really appreciate our employees. They're our number one asset," he said. "And without having them safely on the job and working every day, we have no revenue stream. And one of the cultural things that we want is for them to go home to their family every day. Safe and sound."

Tesh also added that “safety has many different facets. That includes from truck safety to professional protection equipment to the mental attitude of being aware of your surroundings. For instance, as a technician, is there a dog in the backyard locked up in a fence? Check for that because we've had some technicians bit before and pretty severely.”

Tesh said when they installed forward and backward facing cameras in all vehicles, there was some pushback and privacy concerns. But immediately after a technician was in an accident caused by another party — and the camera validated that the tech was driving safely and property — they all bought in.

“Because the video was recording, we were able to prove who was actually at fault. So that saved the technician a ticket and also saved us problems. There's a lot to be done with safety and it's something you have to be constantly aware of.”