Aramark Housekeeping at Austin College recently earned first place in a “March-Madness” bracket-style safety competition with participants from the entire western region, including accounts such as Petco Park, Coors Field, and the University of Denver, among others.
“We want to recognize our safety committee for being hands-on and providing great ideas for each round in this competition,” Rebecca Ticknor, Aramark assistant manager, said. “They are also responsible for ensuring complete safety for our team and bringing suggestions to our attention.”
Ticknor serves as Aramark safety committee chairperson. Other members are general manager Debbie Hill, senior night lead Tom Barton, night lead Jeff Fox, day lead Christine Anders, day lead Eric Yaple, IDEA Center/IT housekeeper Kathy Redrick, and Dean Residential Hall housekeeper Tamara Falls.
The 27 Aramark housekeeping staff members committed to the project with 100% participation. “Our final round was creating a safety board around ergonomics that was specific to our account here at Austin College,” said Ticknor. “We are beside ourselves to be bringing home this trophy. It also shows how we represent Austin College with our safety practices daily!”
Aramark Housekeeping at Austin College has gone more than five years without a lost-time accident. “I would say what is most impressive about our 5.5 years with no lost-time accident is the sheer number of setups we do year-round in the heat, cold, sleet, snow, and rain,” Ticknor said. “We have endured the last two winters of snow and ice where we had skeleton crews, yet still managed to work safely and have no injuries. We endure extreme heat during the summer, which is our busiest time of the year. We assure our employees are properly hydrated, taking breaks when feeling overheated, and always knowing signs of heat-related illness to better look out for one another.”
For the safety competition, the team developed a bulletin board titled “Hands-On for Ergonomic Safety” that included pictures and safety tips for setting up and tearing down events. All associates outlined their handprints and autographed them as a pledge to practice Ergonomic Safety.
Ticknor said, “Our team is our second family. We take care of one another, and safety is our number one priority.”