Previous Safety Star Winners
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August's Winner: John Hester and the Student Housing Custodial TeamDepartment: Student Housing
John Hester and the Student Housing Custodial Team recently worked 12 of 13 straight days (as supervisor, John worked all 13 days) including MANY overtime hours completing their difficult, physical work in high volume and a time-sensitive manner without a single injury! It is truly a remarkable feat and deserves recognition. They call the task they were doing “flipping the rooms”. This project occurs every June immediately after the UC Davis students move out of the housing facilities. The Student Housing Custodial Team “deep cleans” every room, which means scrubbing everything they can reach, then moving everything away from the walls and cleaning the floors and walls. They shampoo and vacuum, scrub, wipe clean the room and move it all back into place! Each student has a dresser, bed, desk, and large closet. The heavy furniture gets depressed into the soft carpet over the school year which requires lifting and moving—not just moving, which adds another layer of exposure to risk of injury. It’s a very demanding job and requires considerable, repeated physical exertion. This work is not particularly mentally stimulating, so the mind has a tendency to wander and not stay attentive to the task at hand, which is often when we see injuries. There is a fast time line related to this work because the cheerleading camps, basketball camps, and soccer camps are on their way in to campus, hence the 12 days of work with much overtime in a 13 day stretch. No injuries this year during the flip is a remarkable accomplishment!
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July's Winner: Dan GoldinDepartment: Mondavi CenterSupervisor: Herb Garman Dan has been extremely proactive in the Mondavi Center's safety programs. He has taken the initiative to apply for Be Smart About Safety funds and has made significant safety improvements with the awards he has procured for the department. Dan successfully initiated electrical safety training for theatre workers. He constructed two new storage carts for the Marley dance floor that are much lighter and easier to push. The flooring can be rolled up directly onto the new carts as well, which eliminates the need for crew members to lift the heavy rolls and helps them avoid back injuries. Dan also obtained a portable fume extractor for removing soldering fumes during the repair of audio, lighting, and video equipment. Dan has always made safety a priority for himself and his crew, and for that, we thank him! |
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June's Winner: Joel BiedererDepartment: Student Housing
Joel is the Safety Coordinator for the Student Housing Maintenance group. His safety programs are well thought out and organized, and he's known for his follow-through in addressing safety issues. Joel is very involved with the Facilities Management Safety Committee and takes the time to ensure all his fellow employees receive the required annual safety training. He also has been proactive in getting the campus' Physical Therapist and Injury Prevention Specialist to conduct training for his crew on proper body mechanics and lifting techniques. In addition, Joel Initiated Be Smart About Safety fund requests for SawStop table saws (blade stops immediately when it contacts skin) for all three Student Housing shops, which greatly reduces the risk of serious injuries! |
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May's Winner: Marika PappagianisDepartment: Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital Large Animal Clinic
Marika is a Nursing Manager in the Large Animal Clinic at the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital (VMTH). While meeting the challenge of fulfilling her management duties through a period of significant staffing reductions, Marika has still found time to be extremely proactive with safety. This focus on safety is vital in this high risk area that works with large and often dangerous animals. Marika has always been a strong safety advocate for her employees and has ensured they receive applicable safety training (in over 25 topics!). A few examples of the improvements Marika’s efforts have brought to the clinic are: the replacement of the bull squeeze chute, the installation of an adjustable-height foal treatment pen (with the help of Bill Herthel), and the replacement of an existing elevated oxygen tank rack with a ground-level rack to avoid the need for employees to lift the 100 lb. cylinders when exchanging them (in coordination with Facilities Management and EH&S). |
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April's Winner: Mike SmithDepartment: Chemistry
Mike is a long time safety coordinator and facility manager in the Department of Chemistry. He looks after his department and advocates for their safety needs. He makes sure workers in the building who are not from the department are properly informed and protected. Because of his experience and his vast knowledge of the eccentricities of the chemistry building (and the department), he's an invaluable resource to EH&S and the campus. |
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March's Winner: Don Van WieDepartment: Facilities Management
Don Van Wie has been a real spark plug for the safety program in Facilities Management. Always a go-to kind of employee, Don is conscientious and responsive to the safety needs of his department. Don has spent a lot of his personal time and effort getting the education and training needed to understand and effectively develop and implement safety programs in Facilities Management. Don also has excellent interpersonal skills for working with and training colleagues. He has been a pleasure to work with due to his strong work ethic and attention to detail. |
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February's Winner: Bambi RhodenDepartment: Carlson Health Sciences LibrarySupervisor: Bonnie Hain-Anderson Bambi Rhoden has placed safety awareness at the forefront for Carlson Health Sciences Library. Bambi takes her role as Department Safety Coordinator seriously and performs the duties enthusiastically. Bambi maintains updated health and safety materials and orients new CHSL student and career staff on all things related to health and safety. Bambi recently distributed reference cards to her co-workers with tips to alleviate physical strain caused by computer use. Bambi integrates an overview of the Library Safety Committee activities and excerpts from the Safety Spotlight publications into monthly Staff Meetings to ensure her co-workers receive the valuable information. Bambi promotes a safe and healthy environment by example; she regularly practices desk exercises at her personal work station and the Public Services desk in view of the entire library. Bambi is committed to ensuring the safety of both staff and the public at the library, and her commitment is greatly appreciated. |
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January's Winner: Victor DurajDepartment: Biological and Agricultural EngineeringSupervisor: Raul Piedrahita Victor Duraj has been instrumental in updating UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering’s expansive safety training program. Victor is extremely knowledgeable on diverse topics such as farm machinery, fire & life safety, electrical hazards, confined space, ergonomics, and heat stress awareness. Victor spends countless hours researching OSHA regulations and has become a recognized source of information to other safety coordinators within the College of Engineering and College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. Victor's dedication to his position as department safety coordinator has made Biological and Agricultural Engineering a model Safety Program. |
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December's Winner: Wenceslao JaymeDepartment: Student HousingSupervisor: John Hester Wenceslao Jayme is a senior Student Housing custodian supervisor who has been extremely proactive facilitating employee attendance at semi-annual sessions on proper body mechanics, error recognition/reduction techniques, and personal risk management. Wenceslao is also proactive in requesting and obtaining “Be Smart About Safety” funding for safety equipment to reduce the risk of debilitating employee stress & strain injuries. Examples of new equipment are spring-loaded adjustable height laundry bins, cleaning equipment extension rods, furniture sliders, material handling ramps, etc. Being proactive isn’t just a buzz word with Wenceslao, it’s part of his work ethic. |
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November's Winner: Ron LaneDepartment: Plant SciencesSupervisor: Garry Pearson Ron took the initiative concerning several safety issues at the Foundation Plant Sciences Seed Handling Facility. He was a key in identifying several safety hazards and applying for “Be Smart About Safety” funding to insure that the proper employee protective equipment was available. He also personally drafted the fall protection, confined space entry and lockout/tagout procedures for Foundation Plant Sciences. |
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October's Winner: Elizabeth ReayDepartment: California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS)Supervisor: Emily Sanson
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September's Winner: Nelson RandolphDepartment: Grounds
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