At Warfel, safety is our top priority. We’re committed to making sure that each employee, subcontractor, consultant and client goes home the same way that he or she came to work that day. Our team of safety professionals works hard to maintain a culture and environment of safe work practices. Today, meet Safety Engineer Jason Beiler.
Describe what you do at Warfel: I support our team in the field to ensure jobsite safety and ensure that everyone goes home in the same condition they came to work in and continue to improve safety on every jobsite. We accomplish that through various means of training, jobsite inspections, developing policies & procedures and other means.
In your words, why is safety so important? You’re only given one life to live. Without safety, that life can be taken from you too soon.
Where did you go to school? Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Harrisburg Area Community College
How long have you worked at Warfel? 7 months
What did you do before you came to Warfel? I was a safety specialist and sales manager for a local construction rental and sales company.
What is your favorite part of your job? Getting out to travel to see different job sites, as well as meeting the people who work hard to create and maintain our Clients For Life. Having been a carpenter at one point in the field myself years ago, I can relate to the guys in the field and like to try to bridge the gap between safety and how work is really performed in the field. Everyone knows it’s not always by the textbook – it’s thinking outside the box sometimes to get the job done safely and efficiently. They don’t teach that well in college or trade schools.
What is the worst job you ever had? Working security at an amusement park right after 9/11. After doing thousands of bag searches, you’d be amazed at what some people carry in their purses and bags! Oh, the stories I can tell…
What is your most exciting accomplishment? Being a volunteer firefighter, it’d be saving someone’s life. And being there in the moment to help calm the storm in what may be the worst moment of their life.
What advice would you give someone applying to Warfel? If you have a desire to succeed and are willing to learn, you’ll do well here.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career? Never stop learning. When you think you know it all, you’re moving backward in your career and in life.
What has changed the most since you’ve started your career? Technology. Technology is changing at breakneck speed and new methods of building continue to be developed. And regulations – some for the better, some not so much, (not just safety regulations) have lengthened and made the building process harder, longer, and more complex than ever.
What’s your favorite part of working in the construction industry? No two jobs are the same or present the same challenges. It’s neat to see a building transformed from the ground up.
What do you think is the most challenging part of the construction industry? Finding people who want to work in the industry and either have experience or are willing to learn. Construction is currently growing at a fast pace with a major labor shortage across all trades at all levels within most companies.
If you could switch jobs with someone, who would it be/what would you do? I wouldn’t switch with anyone specifically, but I would have loved to be an astronaut when NASA had shuttle program.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Spending time with my kids, friends, and family, playing guitar, following Philly sports.
What’s a fun fact about you that we might not know? I originally went to school to be a police officer.
You can learn more about National Safety Week here.
