2023 Richard E. Abbott Safety Scholarship Recipient: Kerry Joseph
2023 Richard E. Abbott Safety Scholarship Recipient: Kerry Joseph
There’s nothing more important than sending people home safe at the end of each day. One way we demonstrate our commitment to safety and the development of our employees is showcased through the Richard E. Abbott Safety Scholarship — a $1,000 award that is dedicated to ACRT Services’ founder. The Scholarship is granted annually to an employee who is seeking to further their career development and commitment to safety.
Losing his father to a car accident in 1990 was an eye-opening experience for Kerry Joseph. For the last three decades, he has prioritized safety all around. Joseph’s dedication to getting his peers home safely every day and his embodiment of our culture of safety are why we are proud to announce Joseph as one of the 2023 Richard E. Abbott Safety Scholarship recipients.
“I always knew I wanted to chart a path for safety. Things could have been different if my father just clicked his seatbelt – one time he didn’t, that’s all it took. I don’t want anyone to ever get that knock on the door and watch their mother collapse from the news,” said Joseph, a senior supervising utility pre-inspector at ACRT Pacific.
He serves as ACRT Pacific’s lead area safety representative (ASR) and sits on the ACRT Pacific Safety Committee.
Joseph plans to use this award to pursue Certified Safety Professional® (CSP) and Certified Environmental and Safety Compliance Officer (CESCO) certifications to further his career and safety efforts.
ACRT Pacific Safety Manager and Tribal Liaison M.K. Youngblood shared, “[Kerry] is the epitome of what a safety scholarship recipient should be: hardworking, loyal, safety-conscious, and a willingness to learn.”
Robert O’Brien, an ACRT Pacific operations manager, also shared, “After Kerry became an ASR, I saw a light/fire ignite within him. He found his niche and it was safety.”
Learn more about our safety philosophy.
This article was originally published in the 2023 July/August UAA Newsline.
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