www.martinmarietta.com | November/December 2019 The Conveyor 17
identified the need for a uniform, structured
Safety Mentor Program across the
enterprise. Fortunately, several divisions
had programs in place, so the Safety Team
was able to, essentially, select the best
practices.”
Jim Reithel, Magnesia Specialties vice
president of operations and the Safety
Team’s leader, says the Safety Team and
other company professionals aimed to
create a comprehensive and effective
Safety Mentor Program by eliminating
the relatively minor differences that
exist in the divisions’ current mentoring
procedures.
A perfect example of these differences
is illustrated by the training received by
Adame at the Rocky Mountain Division’s
Highway 85 Ready Mix Plant in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, and that received
by Matthew Bonilla, a new haul truck
driver at the Mid-Atlantic Division’s
Fuquay Quarry in North Carolina.
Both men are learning about elements
of the company’s culture like the Guardian
Angel Creed. Both are learning about
the tools of their respective trades and the
people with whom they’ll be working
closely. Both are learning how to accomplish
ordinary employment tasks like
requesting a day off and finding an answer
to a complicated benefits question.
Where their experiences diverge is not
in the quality of their training, but in the
basic symbols, duration and methods,
Reithel says.
Adame wears a gold hard hat like all
new employees in the Rocky Mountain
Division and will work closely with Hill,
his mentor, for six months. Bonilla wears
the standard green hard hat worn by all
new Mid-Atlantic Division employees
and will work with Keith Bridgers – his
mentor – for about one year. Adame is
familiar with the red- and white-striped
Guardian Angel logo that all Rocky
Mountain Division safety mentors wear.
In Bonilla’s world, no such logo exists.
Even their mentors come to the table
with different experiences; though well
established at their respective operations,
Hill and Bridgers have undergone varying
levels of mentor training.
Hunt says such differences exist in
every division, which is why the company
needs to adopt a standardized Safety
Mentor Program.
Des Moines District Production
Manager Ryan Bender, a Safety Team
member, says the companywide program
is still being finalized, but will
incorporate mentor training practices
from multiple divisions. Much of the
program’s success, he says, will be based
on the mentors themselves.
While discussing the attributes
of an effective mentor, Bridgers and
Bonilla note traits like “excellent
communication,” “positive attitude,”
“solid experience,” and a willingness to
“accept added responsibilities.” Though
neither man has been introduced to the
companywide program, both believe it
will be helpful.
“This seems like the type of program I
would really like to be involved with
because I’d really like to know for sure
that our new people – regardless of where
they’re located – are shown the proper
way to do things,” Bridgers says. “I’ve
worked for other companies where I
received very little instruction and I’ve
seen what happens when people can’t
keep up. That’s no way to work safely.”
Hill says his experiences as a safety
mentor since joining the company in
2016 have been excellent and that he’s
excited to see what may come once a
standardized program is put in place.
Speaking on what brings success to the
safety mentor role, he makes an important
distinction between mentoring and
job training.
“Mentors often have to do more
listening than they do speaking. They
have to spend time with employees and
help them find answers to a variety
of questions – whether professional or
personal,” Hill says. “If that’s what
mentors across the company will be
doing, I’m confident this program will
be a great benefit.”
Hunt says the Safety Mentor Program
will begin rolling out soon and that
division leadership will then be granted
time to train mentors and adopt the
program fully. Eventually, all divisions
will be expected to incorporate the Safety
Mentor Program into their operations. ▼
Haul Truck Driver
Matthew Bonilla
(right) assists as
Welder/Mechanic and
Mentor Keith Bridgers
makes repairs to a
skid steer.
Photo by Aaron Fuller
When not in the
field, Mentor Chris
Hill and Mentee
Richard Adame
meet regularly
to discuss his
progress.
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