President ’ s Message
I hope everyone had a safe , successful , and fun summer . The Annual Conference was a great success . We are still tallying the final numbers , but we had a great turnout and very positive feedback . Thank you to all who took the time to attend , vendors that had booths , and a very special thanks to all that sponsored . Additionally , I would like to offer an enormous Thank You and shout out to Dobbs Equipment . They have generously contributed $ 15,000 for Bidding for Benjamin ’ s ! This doesn ’ t include the substantial giving earlier in the year as well .
If you notice the first item of business in this message was not about making money or regulation . I mentioned Safety . Safety is the part of our industry that is certainly not overlooked however , due to the high profile it gets sometimes we get a little too comfortable with talking about it rather than living it . This month challenge is to increase the safety culture in your business and as a result you will see a return in financial gain , company moral , and respect for our industry . There have been an increased number of trench cave ins this year . This is no doubt a byproduct of the booming industry , yet that is certainly an excuse . My father once told me , “ An excuse is a reason to fail . Don ’ t Fail !” This is especially true when it comes to safety in our industry .
One of the best ways we can represent our industry is by living the practices we preach , and none is higher than making sure we are valuing our most valuable resources . The lives of our employees . When we go to Tallahassee and speak to our State Representatives , I want nothing more than to tout our outstanding safety record not only for us as an organization but our industry as a whole . This only increases our credibility and the weight of our opinions on regulation such as the legislation pertaining to heat stroke plans . Again , I challenge you to not just discuss safety and safe practices but live them .
“ Safety is not an intellectual exercise to keep us in work . It is a matter of life and death . It is the sum of our contributions to safety management that determines whether the people we work with live or die .”
– Sir Brian Appleton
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon !
Clark Cryer , President NUCA of Florida
AUGUST 2022 • DITCHMEN 3