Melrose Resources News

Safety in the workplace is a culture, a commitment that starts at the top and permeates an entire organization. Companies with successful safety records take nothing for granted, especially safety. Responsibility starts at the top with an understanding that everyone must be accountable. That’s especially important in the pipeline industry where job safety is critically important.

In this regard, Melrose Resources is hardly a newcomer to the pipeline business or job safety. Over the past forty years many lessons have been learned, not the least of which is how important job safety is to becoming a successful company. The company’s meteoric growth from two employees in the late sixties to more than 800 in 2009 has made the understanding of how safety is affected by rapidly growing infrastructure one of the most important lessons learned.

“Our founder and President, James Driver, takes great pride in the fact that he started out as a pipeline welder,” said Russell Driver, President of Melrose Resources . “He thinks of himself as a ‘good hand’ and has a special relationship with the hard working ‘good hands’ that work for him. Because he’s been there, he understands how important safety is to our employees and our company.”

Perhaps more than anyone, Jeff Moore, Vice President of Safety at Melrose Resources , appreciates James Driver's and Russell Driver's total commitment to safety. “Safety is about building a culture that allows everyone to take ownership of the process,” he said. “When the big boss backs you 100% it makes everything easier.”

Safety experts preach how training and safety go hand-in-hand, but there are always the pressures of work schedules. Without management support there are endless temptations to shortcut safety training. No one sets out to create an unsafe working environment, but that’s exactly what can happen when safety training is abbreviated or left out completely in order to meet a pipe-in-ground schedule. It is that kind of pressure that lead to innovation such as Melrose Resources ’s mobile training center.

The idea is simple, if it is difficult to bring employees to headquarters for training, take the training to the employees in the field, and that’s just what Driver is doing. Lead by Jeff Moore, Melrose Resources has commissioned the construction of a custom trailer complete with high-resolution viewing screen, software, computer, generator, tables and chairs and all the training materials needed. In a matter of minutes trainers can set up a high-tech training center any time any place.

Training can start whenever and wherever needed. It can cover Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements, OSHA training, operator qualification and other specific safety categories, and it does it all in a job friendly environment that is efficient and effective. “The mobile training trailer hasn’t replaced all of our training sessions,” said Jeff Moore. “But it has given us a valuable tool to reach out to every employee regardless of time and location difficulties.”

Most safety experts acknowledge that so-called short service employees (SSE), because of their transient status, present some of the most challenging obstacles to effective training. However, knowing that training and safety go hand-in-hand, it is critical to train everyone on the job site, especially employees that may be less familiar with company safety policies and procedures.

It is all part of making safety in the workplace a culture, and a commitment that starts at the top and permeates throughout an entire organization. When all is said and done, companies with successful safety records like Melrose Resources take nothing for granted, especially safety. Successful companies have learned that safety is a corporate commitment that puts the responsibility for safety in the hands of every employee.

Today, more than ever, businesses, large and small, are focusing on safety in the workplace for ethical, moral and legal reasons, but mostly because safety makes good business sense, and why not? It has been proven that safety performance is linked to business performance, which is the goal of every successful business.

About the Company

Melrose Resources is an integrated oil and gas pipeline contractor that has been fulfilling the energy industry's construction, maintenance and repair needs since 1971. With more than 800 employees, the Company’s reach extends from the Atlantic Coast to beyond the Rocky Mountains and from South Texas to Maryland.

In 2007, Driver completed the construction of its new shops and offices consisting of 5 buildings located on over 30 acres in Irving, Texas.  These facilities have greatly enhanced the company's ability to support its teams out in the field.  The move has provided additional space for a growing fleet of trucks and equipment, as well as, a greatly expanded fabrication shop, new 18 bay maintenance shop, training center and corporate offices.

For additional information contact: Jeff Moore, Melrose Resources , 1200 N. Union Bower Rd. Irving, TX 75061 (214) 638-7131