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The Heritage wins corporate “Amazing Safety Race’ competition

"Think Safety" painted on a wallBRENTWOOD — From the first day of New Hire Orientation, workplace safety is instilled into every employee at The Heritage at Brentwood. And they continue to be rewarded for it.

The Brentwood senior living community has won Life Care Service’s 2022 “The Amazing Safety Race” competition. LCS, The Heritage’s management company, sponsored the contest to encourage its communities across the nation to create employee awareness programs designed to keep safety top of mind.

The Heritage’s Director of Facility Services Eddie Tomlinson credits the employee-driven Safety Committee, Director of Human Resources Carroll Bagwell and individual Heritage employees for the recognition.

“It’s nice to know we have a safety culture here and everybody gets it. Everyone got involved, from the leadership team on down,” Tomlinson said of the three-month “race” comprised of three challenges for participating communities and three check-in points. It ended in May.

The Safety Committee took April’s corporate challenge – “submit a picture of the safety bulletin board at your community” – and decided to go big.

First, committee member Amy Sheehan, who facilitates The Heritage’s art programs, suggested that each department design and create an original safety-themed poster to foster teamwork. The posters would then be displayed on the breakroom bulletin board.

The committee loved the idea.

That led Tomlinson to have a brainstorm. “I said, ‘Why don’t we paint the walls downstairs like our posters?’” At first, the suggestion initiated laughs. But when he said he was serious, the idea took off.

"Safety By Choice, Not Chance" painted on the wallTomlinson created the first mural, giving it a 3-D effect by adhering yellow and orange hardhats to a section of the wall. He even incorporated an existing fire extinguisher into his design.

Other committee members soon followed suit.

Jennifer Miller, representing Somerfield Health Center, let her imagination run wild with a Monopoly-themed “Safety by CHOICE not CHANCE” mural complete with the game’s colorful paper money affixed along all its edges. Sheehan’s hand-painted, Bee-themed mural illustrates a “Bee Safe, Stay Alert” message.

"Safety Crossing" painted on a yellow wallThere’s one that mimics a yellow crosswalk signal while another features a painted lightbulb that reminds employees to “Think Safety.” Two narrow murals represent fire-safety acronyms drilled into employees during their New Hire Orientation and annual safety training: PASS (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep) and RACE (Remove, Alarm/Alert, Confine, Extinguish/Evacuate).

News of the victory came just as The Heritage kicked off its annual observance of National Safety Month, sponsored by the National Safety Council. Throughout June, special events like a food-truck lunch and employee cookout rewarded employees for their efforts in maintaining the community’s excellent safety record.

Members of the Brentwood Fire & Rescue Department also visited the campus to teach employees how to properly extinguish a fire, following PASS protocols, of course.

If you want to work where safety is a priority in all departments, from housekeeping and health care to transportation and Food & Beverage, apply today at TheHeritageLCS.com/careers/.

 

About The Heritage at Brentwood:

The Heritage at Brentwood senior living community features more than 20 different independent living floor plans in its apartment homes, villas and garden villas. Floor plans range from 721 to 2,171 square feet. The Heritage is situated on a beautiful 48-acre campus in the heart of Brentwood.

As a Type A LifeCare® Community, The Heritage offers a continuum of care if never needed. This includes assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation services and short- and long-term skilled nursing in its on-campus Somerfield Health Center if ever needed.

 

About Life Care Services:

Life Care Services is the nation’s leading senior living management and development company and recipient of the J.D. Power Award for Customer Satisfaction with Independent Senior Living Communities for the past three  years.