This was not an easy task. In fact, during the week, laborers often forgot to put on gloves. They forgot to put safety glasses back on after a break or make a quick trip to the RoadShow trailer to grab a dust mask. And even when the work got so intricate that wearing boots on a white cement topping would likely cause unsightly marks, shoes were removed. All these infractions indicated that we needed more help to keep these problems from occurring. It also told me that this stand we are making toward job site safety will take time and effort by everyone industry-wide if it is to succeed.

That being said, steps we take together as an industry today will undoubtedly have a positive impact on our industry’s future. And in all honesty, that is something we can bet our lives on.

So now that 2017 is off and running, I want to express my sincere appreciation to the many people who have helped me understand how important and essential job site safety is, especially from the position as publisher of Concrete Decor magazine. We don't talk into our office each day wearing a hard hat, but we can promote work that is safely performed. So beginning this year, the stories and photos we share in the magazine will emphasize more than technical content and quality work. They will also illustrate how to safely perform exemplary work.

In planning for upcoming editions of Concrete Decor magazine, Concrete Decor RoadShow events, the Concrete Decor Show  next fall, as well as next year’s Decorative Concrete LIVE! event, we ask our friends and industry patrons to evaluate their operations and identify ways to improve on safety — and share their findings with us. Because as my good friend has shared, “It’s important that we safely return our people to their families at the end of the day.”