Summit Drilling, Bridgewater, N.J., one of the northeast’s largest environmental drilling companies, also is one of the region's safest operators. Summit Drilling's director of health and safety, Denis Crayon, recently accepted a Recognition Award at the Governor's Annual Occupational Safety and Health Awards Program, an annual event that has been a pillar of achievement in the prevention of workplace injury and illness for 83 years The award was presented to organizations with an outstanding safety record throughout 2010. The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the New Jersey State Industrial Safety Committee, and the New Jersey State Safety Council sponsor the program.

Summit Drilling is a leading environmental services company, offering drilling, direct push sampling, sonic technology and injection expertise. Its commitment to health and safety has reached new heights, having more than doubled its efforts over the past three years. Field service crews, members of operations, health and safety program coordinators and management are required to attend weekly 6 a.m. health and safety meetings.

"Our health and safety meetings provide an opportunity to share best practices and embed safety in the minds of our people on a consistent basis. Over time, this has become a part of our company culture, and is the glue holding our program together," states Crayon. "If anyone feels that safety programs like this are unnecessary, I say look at the statistics. People first and then equipment are the companies greatest assets. So how can an investment in protecting them be anything but necessary?" Crayon continues. "I'm extremely proud of our guys and the record we are building here at Summit. I also feel fortunate to be at a company where the work I do is a priority."

To be honored at this long-standing and prestigious event, Summit Drilling racked up some impressive numbers. As of Aug. 18, 2011, Summit Drilling has worked 583 consecutive workdays without a lost-time incident, representing approximately 173,844 man-hours worked. Prior to receiving the 83rd Annual Governor’s Occupational Safety & Health Award, Summit Drilling also received the Annual Eyes on America Workforce Safety Award this past June.

The rigors of running a comprehensive health and safety program require a full-time focus. Summit Drilling's program includes an extensive list of training and certifications. Its loss prevention system encourages constant communication and documentation from the field. "Our field services crews are incentivized to submit near-loss reports," states Summit's CEO Bob Kreilick. "To date, we have paid $2,666 in incentive awards to our employees to report safety performance observations. When I hear that our guys are reminding each other to put in earplugs, or to go back to the truck for the right type of gloves, I know our program is working. Denis Crayon cares about every individual in our company. If I tell him what a great job he's doing, his first response would be to credit the people doing the work. That's just the kind of leader he is," Kreilick concludes.

Summit is holding a special health and safety meeting for customers at 6:00 a.m. on Sept. 29 at its Bridgewater, N.J., headquarters. It's being coordinated to provide customers with an opportunity to see a top-notch health and safety program in action. Food and coffee will be served. All are encouraged to participate; it’s recommended that those planning to attend call in advance to confirm their attendance.

If you would like to learn more about this event or Summit Drilling's health and safety program, call 800-242-6648, and speak with program director Denis Crayon. Regular health and safety meetings at Summit Drilling are open to industry colleagues, consulting engineering firms and vendors involved in environmental investigation work.