Racecar Driver Andretti Lends Support at ConcreteWorks to ThinkFirst Safety Campaign

Nationally known racecar driver Marco Andretti made an appearance at NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks earlier this week to voice his support for the newly unveiled Think First safety campaign that NRMCA and membership introduced during the event. Andretti, part of one of the United States’ most famous racing families whose grandfather is the legendary Mario Andretti, discussed the importance of proper safety procedures in the ConcreteWorks exhibit hall this past Monday morning.

NRMCA Board Chairman William Sandbrook of U.S. Concrete (seen here at left with Mr. Andretti) who played a key role in the driver’s accepting an invitation to come to ConcreteWorks, held this year just outside Orlando in Kissimmee, FL, and Andretti hosted a question-and-answer session in the exhibit hall, part of an overall strategy to increase attendance for exhibitors. Andretti noted that although the mixer trucks and race cars are vastly different vehicles, each needs to be viewed with utmost care when behind the wheel. He said NRMCA’s ThinkFirst campaign should be another effective way to convey that constant vigilance is needed to avoid serious accidents.

ThinkFirst had its origins with NRMCA’s Safety, Operations and Environmental staff when it noted that over the past 10 years the top 10 most frequently cited safety violations, as per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA, had barely changed. Then in mid-2017 the newly renamed Safety, Environmental and Operations Committee enabled NRMCA and members to take a closer, more focused look at safety within the industry. The result is what is will be viewed as a thoughtful, coordinated, uniform, understandable and relevant industry-wide safety campaign. The goal is to ensure that each ready mixed concrete industry employee ends his or day the same way it started, alive and healthy.

To achieve these goals, ThinkFirst is designed to be an industry-wide focus dedicated to creating and enhancing a steadfast culture of safe work practices by emphasizing thoughtful and strategic actions throughout operational tasks. Safe operations require an industry’s workforce to ThinkFirst. The first action should be a safe action. This focus, in turn, decreases injuries, illnesses and fatalities while increasing worker retention, positive workplace morale and an unencumbered manufacturing process.

For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.