Dredging Creates a Strong Economy and a Cleaner Environment

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Safety Commission

The membership of WEDA is a diverse collection of industry constituencies including but not limited to contractor, regulatory, supplier, consultant, and academia. A common thread between these groups is our shared commitment to the safety of those involved at any stage of dredging. Those outside our industry would perhaps think safety is as simple as hard hats and high visibility vests. The WEDA Safety Commission works in the spirit of “shared knowledge” to inform our members as to the larger picture of safety, beyond Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and regulatory statutes to our member organizations’ commitment to developing and maintaining a Culture of Safety. Every day, every person.

The WEDA Safety Commission is representative of the same industry diversity, and geographically includes members from each WEDA Chapter. Each WEDA member has a story to tell of their personal and/or professional safety journey. Even in our daily lives we can each recognize an unsafe condition or action (think about the last time you saw aggressive driving). When we recognize the existence of an intersection of safety programs/policies, safety mindset, and safe actions, it’s easy to spot the most important asset of our industry: Our People. Our people get home safely to their family and friends after every shift.

A second mission within the Safety Commission is to promote and recognize the safety achievements of WEDA members with the presentation of the annual Safety Excellence Awards. Recognized achievements are available to:

Dredging Contractors Dredging Projects  Industry Partners Government/Stakeholders

Some of the most insightful moments from the annual WEDA Summit come out of the Safety Excellence Awardee panel discussion. Attendees can expect to hear the most successful strategies and practices for cultivating safety within their individual organizations.

Commission members can expect quarterly conference calls to discuss safety topics relevant to our membership and present those topics through periodic webinars and participation at the WEDA chapter level. Commission members will also participate in the review and selection of Safety Excellence Award winners. Attendance at the annual WEDA Summit is greatly encouraged to champion the efforts of the Safety Commission to keep safety at the forefront of the daily and working lives of our entire membership.

The Safety Commission

Jos Clement Zach Chester Stan Ekren Erik Haruch
Erin Jensen Doug Plaisance Randy Steed Tori White

Those interested in participating on the WEDA Safety Commission may contact Commission Chair Julie Hile for consideration. hgoffice@hilegroup.com 

WODA Safety Culture Framework

Led by the Safety Commission Chair, Julie Hile, the WODA Safety Culture Framework was created in 2023 by a group of international dredging subject matter resources with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and a broad range of expertise and experience. When considering safety interventions and processes, this review is by no means exhaustive. It seeks to encourage/urge/inspire parties to implement safety in the dredging community as a standard to “BE SAFE and STAY SAFE”.

As a WEDA organization, please review the insights contained within the Safety Framework and ask yourself, “How could my organization benefit from this guidance? How could it complement our current processes?”

This is a free resource - share the document with your Safety Department to see how you may be able to apply complementary ideas. Please note that it is not intended to be implemented in its entirety, but as a resource that can work alongside your organization’s current safety practices.