At Garvin’s we created a Code of Conduct that includes 6 Core Values. Today we want to explain Safety and what it means to us.

We define Safety as:

Creating and maintaining a safe environment for both employees and customers

Garvin’s Real-Life Examples of Safety

For our technicians: 

Our technicians, depending on their tasks, either attend a general safety training or attend an OSHA 10 course. They also compete a 3-hour defensive driving course to help them stay safe on the road (they do a lot of driving during any given day.)

Every week, each of our technicians receive a Safety Information sheet that deep dives into a specific safety topic relevant to their job. Some of these topics have included:

• Avoiding chemical burns from liquid drain cleaners
• Treating pest and insect bites/stings
• Foot, eye, ear protection
• Slip and fall safety practices
• And more

Quarterly we conduct a safety audit of every technician’s vehicle to make sure they have first aid supplies, accident kits, and that their Personal Protective equipment, supplies, and machinery are in good working condition.

Employees know that they never have to do work in an unsafe environment, and because they are at customer’s homes, we can’t always control the work conditions. They mitigate conditions to the best of their ability and they always maintain the right to refuse service due to unsafe conditions.

The health and safety of our technicians is important so they can get home each and every day to their families.

For our customers:

Without our customers, we wouldn’t have jobs, and keeping them safe is our priority. Plumbing in its general purpose was designed for sanitation and health. The steps we take to ensure customer safety include:

• Using tarps, mats and shields to protect personal property
• Wearing appropriate gloves, masks, hard hats or other PPE when on property to protect both you and the worker from injury
• Proper training on high-risk tasks, such as using flame retardants when soldering
• Cleaning up after ourselves
• Refraining from using drugs or alcohol before and during working hours
• Using safe driving practices

Where Would We Be Without Plumbing?

Plumbing brings clean water in our homes and allows waste to be flushed away. Without it, we could be facing a sanitary issue. Countries without clean water and sanitation systems experience more disease and even death from preventable bacterial conditions.

In the US, we also have the opportunity to not only have clean water delivered right into our homes, but we also are able to use plumbing in an aesthetically pleasing way. From water fall shower heads to trough or bib sinks – we can have the latest in interior design when it comes to water supply and waste systems.

When plumbing is functioning at its optimum, it controls pests (thank you p-traps), mold (thank you no leaks), sanitation (thank you toilets), and supports homes designed the way we want and need, (thank you water heaters, sump pumps, hose bibs, garbage disposals… ok, you get the point).

Truly, indoor plumbing is remarkable and we take it for granted until it isn’t working properly. This is what makes plumbers and drain technicians so important in our world, and why keeping them safe is critical. Maybe you never thought of plumbing in such a way – but it’s true, plumbing is a modern wonder and maybe, just maybe, that makes plumbers superheroes!

Do you have questions about safety for you or our technicians as they perform work in your home? Drop us a comment, call, or e-mail. We are happy to answer any of your questions relating to drain cleaning or plumbing.