Teammate Takes a Timeout for Safety
April 2022 — Safety hazards never take a day off. Neither does Watco when it comes to upholding its commitment to safely improving every day.
Watco Utility Team Lead Christopher “Juice” Walther is no exception to this rule.
At the Tioga Dedicated Terminal, a customer facility that Watco helps operate, Walther recently took preventative action after noticing a hazardous situation involving two employees of a third-party contractor.
He immediately exercised Stop Work Authority after finding them attempting to unthaw a valve with their truck exhaust. The shop doors and windows were closed, making an already unsafe situation potentially deadly due to lack of ventilation.
After notifying appropriate personnel and correcting the hazard, they worked together to restart operations safely. Ultimately, the contractor used Walther’s heat gun to safely warm the valve.
“Juice is a prime example of being a brother’s keeper,” Terminal Manager Daniel Harkness said. “He spoke up and prevented injuries or worse, death.”
Walther’s proactive approach to preventing a hazardous incident earned him Watco’s Be the Difference Safe Performance and Winter FREEZE (Following Rules Every Day Ensures Zero Errors) awards. Accolades are nice but not necessary for Walther to do his job. According to his supervisor Russell Koczur, maintaining a safe work environment is his no. 1 priority.
He said, “Juice has always been a stand-up guy. He leads by example and always puts safety first.”