Davey Tree Flipbooks

17 July/August 2020 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN 'THIS WE BELIEVE …' SAFETY CREED TURNS 50 In January 1970, Davey's leadership issued a simple yet powerful statement about what safety means at Davey Tree. The letter, titled "This We Believe About Safety," carried a message that would resonate over the years and serve as a steady reminder of what it means to work safely at Davey. In just 212 words, the letter conveys a powerful and timeless message about elevating safety in all we do, such as: "We believe that the prevention of accidents is an objective which crosses all levels of rank, organization, and procedure." For Davey Chairman, President and CEO Pat Covey the "This We Believe" letter is an example of Davey's progressive approach to safety – even half a century ago. commitment to the value of human life. "It reminds us of the value of the lives of those around us and why we need to lead with safety and take necessary action to prevent incidents," Tommasi said. "And by doing so, we would thereby achieve success as an organization through doing good work and doing no harm. It is a reminder of how acting safely would carry us far as individuals and an organization. Obviously, it is written in the language of the time, but it resonates as much today as it did then." That emphasis on the value of human life rings true today as Davey works with its employees, clients and communities to limit the spread of COVID-19. '' When I read the 'This We Believe' letter, I see a company and leadership that was way ahead of our time with regard to the way we thought about and valued employee safety. '' Pat Covey Davey Chairman, President and CEO "When I read the 'This We Believe' letter, I see a company and leadership that was way ahead of our time with regard to the way we thought about and valued employee safety," Covey said. "At the time, many companies were more reactive and punitive when it came to safety, while Davey took the position that being proactive and humanistic was a better approach. The human performance (HP) training and methodology that we use today is a continuation of this safety mentality." Over the years, Davey's corporate safety department has delivered our "This We Believe About Safety" message in a variety of ways, including in Davey safety tailgates, during safety training presentations, and at company meetings. Joe Tommasi, vice president, corporate safety, said the original letter served as a statement of the Davey Company's Covey said there have been many points throughout history that have defined Davey as a unique company and special place to work. "For 50 years we've talked the talk and walked the walk," he said. "It speaks to who we are as a company that we can look into our past and see that there were Davey leaders who were progressive, thoughtful and forward- looking with regards to promoting safety as a value and 'moral obligation' that 'crosses all levels of rank, organization and procedure…'" "It's also a reminder of how important it is that we protect and preserve our special, unique culture in challenging times and to protect this house," Covey said. "There is a long legacy of employees and shareholders who have stepped up and done the right thing in the past. Now it's our turn."

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