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To Torrey Garrison, safety isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a selling point for a business.
Torrey is the Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) and of Leadership Development at Performance Contractors, an industrial construction company based on the Gulf Coast. Through his dual roles, he negotiates between the safety and business aspects of the company.
“A lot of times, we get our foothold into speaking with the C-suite by saying, ‘_Hold on, let's talk about the money aspect of this_’ — and then we can blend doing the right thing back [into the conversation],” he says on this episode of the No Accident podcast, presented by TRUCE.
Torrey is fighting to change the view of safety from a “necessary evil” to a positive that can be used to promote the company.
“It’s really hard sometimes for safety to show what the monetary value is for us to be there,” he admits. “[But] where you really start seeing the fruit of the labor is when you’re able to get more work, even with that organization or a different organization based off how your safety record is.”
Torrey describes joining sales and marketing meetings with clients who are eager to hear about Performance Contractors’ winning safety record — something that separates them from competitors.
Torrey’s career journey has provided great insight into the worker’s perspective as well, which has aided in his dynamic approach to safety. After spending five years in the U.S. Coast Guard, his first job was in the “very dangerous atmosphere” of a foundry. But it was there Torrey learned the importance of robust safety procedures from the other side of the clipboard.
“I'm looking around thinking, ‘_Wow, this is a very unsafe place._’ I was on the other side — I wasn't on the EHS side, I was actually on the hands-on side.”
Featured Guest
👉 Name: Torrey Garrison
👉 What he does: As Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) and of Leadership Development at Gulf Coast-based Performance Contractors, Torrey combines his 20 years of safety experience with lessons in leadership to help leaders at all levels within the business.
👉 Company: Performance Contractors
👉 Key quote: “[With] everything that you have on your job site that's going well, don't wait until something happens to change it. We make changes as we go. I'm not saying rewrite the whole program and everyone has to relearn it. I'm saying tweak it and see what other benefits you can get.”
👉 Where to find him: LinkedIn | Website
Safe Takes
⚠️ A strong safety record can set you apart from competitors. Proving you can do a job safely is a selling point to prospective clients. Performance Contractors’ sales and marketing teams use the company’s safety statistics to stand out from otherwise similar rivals.
⚠️ Clients appreciate you going above and beyond with safety measures. Inspired by Torrey’s military career, Performance Contractors use a go/no-go system in every single procedure. It’s an extra step — and one their clients appreciate.
⚠️ Working in EHS sets you up to lead. Safety personnel often find themselves explaining important procedures to large groups of people — sometimes as many as 1,000 on major jobs, Torrey says. It’s a high-pressure way to learn leadership skills, which then just need finetuning.
Resources
⛑️ Torrey’s website –– Read Torrey’s blog for more about his time in the Coast Guard, his work as a reserve chaplain for the Air Force and his thoughts on leadership development.
⛑️ Beyond the Numbers — An article on Construction Executive, in which Torrey talks about Performance Contractors’ new methods for approaching safety.
⛑️ Best For Vets profile — A breakdown of Performance Contractors’ work with veterans by the Military Times.
Top quotes from the episode:
“There are a lot of companies that do really good work, but what are their safety records? Can they do it safely? That's where we can get our foot in.”
“Our ownership and management team have seen how important [safety] is to get more projects. And the more projects we have, the more money people make, the more we can put back into our company, and it's all based on working safely.”
“We've had jobs that may not have gone the exact way we wanted them to — but we got another opportunity because our safety department stepped up on that job site.”
“We're really part of the sales team. We have a sales program that we go through with new clients, to explain to them what our EHS department can do.”
“Every time we discuss our EHS program with a client, my question is, ‘_Tell us something that you're doing that you feel excited about or you're passionate about._’ 90% of the time we have a program pretty close to it.”
“Structure, accountability and knowing how to follow orders are three things that our veterans can teach our employees from the civilian world.”
“I believe safety is multifaceted, but the clear, easy answer is that you want someone to be able to work and do their task without being harmed.”
“You operate better, you're a better person, you treat others better, when you feel safe. So if we can move that onto our job sites, it’s giving someone the confidence that they are going to be safe today.”
