Kramer Enterprises Profits by Putting Safety First

In new Web video, WorkSafeMT tells how one man’s experience with injury led him to create one of Montana’s safest construction companies.

There are a lot of reasons to put safety first in the workplace — fewer injuries, lower workers’ compensation rates, higher profit margins. But for one Montana man his determination to make his employees and partners safe was driven by personal experience. WorkSafeMT — the organization dedicated to improving Montana’s workplace safety record — tells the story of Terry Kramer in a new Web video at http://www.WorkSafeMT.com, sharing how he puts safety first at his Kalispell-based construction company after experiencing his own debilitating workplace injury.

"WorkSafeMT is so grateful to Terry for sharing his very personal story and journey with us and Montana," said Carl Kochman, chair of WorkSafeMT board of directors. "Experiencing a workplace injury can be very traumatic for the victim and his or her family. Terry’s story is such a great example of how we can use our own experience to move forward with a renewed commitment for keeping ourselves, our employees and our families safe."

At Kramer Enterprises, Kramer has made workplace safety not just a requirement but a culture. When he started the company, the safety plan was the first thing he developed. From project managers to subcontractors, all workers who touch a job site are required to follow the safety plan. Kramer’s employees and subcontractors are grateful that their safety is valued. As a result the company gets plenty of construction projects, enjoys sustainable/profitable margins and pays less in workers’ compensation insurance compared to other construction firms in the state.

"Safety culture becomes part of what you do every day. It becomes who you are and what you do, not just on the job site, but at home and on the way home," said Terry Kramer, Kramer Enterprises owner and general contractor, in the Web video "Taking Care of the Family."

"The biggest benefit is everyone goes home safe to their families every day."

WorkSafeMT.com

The video telling Kramer’s story is part of WorkSafeMT’s new website, WorkSafeMT.com, that went live this month. The website is designed as a resource for Montana companies, organizations and employees with concrete tools on how they can improve workplace safety. It includes step-by-step information on how companies can build a safety program with recommendations outlined in the Montana Safety Culture Act, write a safety plan, create a safety committee and develop safety training. The website also includes information about designing a Stay at Work/Return to Work program that helps injured employees return to meaningful work as soon as medically possible. Company owners, managers and employees can also register on the website to receive information about free SafetyFestMT trainings offered three to four times per year throughout the state. Additionally at WorkSafeMT.com, viewers can watch short videos like "Taking Care of the Family" that show real-life examples of Montana companies that are doing safety right.

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About WorkSafeMT

Established in 2008, WorkSafeMT was created as a public-private collaborative effort of business, labor and state agency leaders, health care providers, injured workers and workers’ compensation insurers with the purpose of addressing Montana’s poor work safety record and improving Montana’s Stay at Work/Return to Work system. http://www.WorkSafeMT.com