Cianbro is one of the East Coast's largest construction and construction-services companies. The OMC/Cianbro partnership has developed an award winning approach to improving the health of employees and their families. Working with Cianbro's team members over 15 states in multiple job locations is a challenge but the results speak for themselves. Cianbro was recently awarded ACOEM CHAA for workplace safety & health. Cianbro is the smallest company ever to be so honored and is proud to be in the company of previous winners such as IBM, Union Pacific Railroad, Boeing Corporation and Dow Chemical. Wellness Councils of America (Welcoa) presented Cianbro with their gold award for wellness at work and have invited Cianbro to apply for their platinum award, achieved by less than two-dozen companies' world wide to date.
ACOEM's John P. Holland, MD, MPH (left)
presents Dr. Larry Catlett (right), Cianbro's
medical director, and Cianbro Safety Director
Alan Burton (center) with ACOEM's Corporate
Health Achievement Award.
Cianbro recognized for best corporate health program in America! KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 6, 2004) - The honors for Cianbro's corporate wellness program continued recently with the announcement that the company received the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine's (ACOEM) prestigious Corporate Health Achievement Award for 2004.
The award recognizes organizations that have demonstrated outstanding achievement in employee health, safety, environment, and management. Organizations throughout North America with more than 1,000 employees apply for the award. Cianbro was the sole recipient of this year's award.
Cianbro Safety and Human Resources Director Alan Burton and Dr. Larry Catlett, Cianbro's medical director and owner of Occupational Medical Consulting (OMC) of Leeds, Maine, accepted the award at ACOEM's annual American Occupational Health Conference in Kansas City, Missouri
Cianbro, an employee-owed company, launched its wellness program to help its more than 2,000 workers in many ways. In addition to helping Cianbro's workforce become healthier, happier, and more productive, the program also reduces the costs employees, and the company, pay for health care by reducing the need for it.
The company's wellness efforts include comprehensive measures to reduce injuries on the job; extensive intervention and assistance programs for employees who may have substance abuse problems; assistance to employees seeking to shape healthier overall lifestyles for themselves; and careful tracking of many health-related statistics among the workforce to gauge each program's effectiveness. The company even went tobacco-free in 2003 to promote better worker health.
"Cianbro is a leader in understanding and promoting the corporate cultural changes toward health that make wellness a reality in the workplace," said Rita Bubar, Cianbro's corporate human resources manager. "Partnering with Dr. Catlett, Cianbro continues to develop a health preventative services-wellness-program. And, we have constructed a new software tool to drive, manage, and track wellness interventions in the workplace."
Cianbro's long tradition of workplace safety figures into the program as well. The company's safety culture, including extensive employee training in safety practices and procedures, helps to keep injuries down and worker health up. The newer health and wellness initiatives interlock with this long-standing safety consciousness to bring employee wellness to the next level.
"This is all about improving our people's lives," Cianbro President and CEO Pete Vigue said. "Today, our company-and this country-are at a crossroads with health care. Our choices are two, accept what the current system and society imposes on us, or motivate ourselves to take control of our health. At Cianbro, our team is taking control and our goal is to be one of the healthiest companies in America."
This award recognizes Cianbro as a national leader in pursuing health and safety in the workplace. Previous winners include the Union Pacific Railroad (2003), pharmaceutical companies Bristol-Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly (2002), computer manufacturer IBM (2002), the National Security Agency (2001), worldwide energy giant GE Power Systems (2000), and aerospace titan Boeing (1998).
ACOEM, an international medical specialty society of more than 6,000 occupational and environmental medicine physicians and other allied health professionals, recognizes the best corporate health programs in America through its sponsorship of the CHAA competition. The Award honors and provides national recognition to North American corporations and institutions exhibiting excellence in employee health, safety, and environmental management, and recognizes the finest health programs in America. Competing organizations are judged on their commitment to, and excellence in, creating comprehensive and innovative health and safety programs. Examiners look for measurable results in 23 quality categories covering four areas - healthy people, a healthy environment, a healthy company, and management and leadership. Founded in 1916, ACOEM provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments. The College is headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill.
The 2004 winner of AGC's Build America Award, ABC's Excellence in Construction Award, and ACOEM's Corporate Health Achievement Award, Cianbro is one of the East Coast's largest civil and heavy industrial construction companies. Employee-owned, Cianbro is headquartered in Pittsfield, Maine, and serves the eastern seaboard from offices in Pittsfield and Portland, Maine, Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Baltimore, Maryland. Cianbro is recognized nationally for its safety and wellness programs. Founded in 1949 by Cianchette brothers Carl, Ken, Bud, and Chuck, Cianbro is one of the most diversified construction companies in the nation with gross annual sales in excess of $300 million and over 2,000 team members throughout the eastern United States.
Please visit Cianbro's web site at:
www.cianbro.com
Please visit The Corporate Health Achievement Award web site at:
www.chaa.org
Left to Right - Dr. Larry Catlett, Rita Bubar,
Peter Vigue, and Alan Burton
An Award Winning Wellness Program
Did you know that you work at one of the healthiest companies in America? Cianbro has been honored twice for our wellness program in the last few months. The award winning wellness program has ranked Cianbro with some of the biggest companies in this country.
In March, Rita Bubar, corporate HR Manager, and Peter Vigue, Cianbro President & CEO, accepted an award from the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) at an awards dinner in Bangor, Maine. Cianbro was honored with the Gold Level of Achievement in WELCOA's Well Workplace Awards Initiative. The award recognizes quality and excellence in work wellness programs based on demonstrated achievement in changing behaviors and cost effectiveness. Many organizations apply to be one of America's healthiest companies. Cianbro, along with more than 600 other companies, have reached this mark.
The honors continued in May when Alan Burton, Human Resources & Safety Director, and Dr. Larry Catlett, Medical Director, were presented with an award from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at an awards dinner in Kansas City, Missouri. Cianbro was presented with the 2004 Corporate Health Achievement Award - the only recipient this year. The award looks at companies that have proven results in employee health, safety, environment and management. Cianbro was recognized for our success and commitment to building comprehensive and innovative health and safety programs.
Congratulations to all those who have helped reach this achievement and thanks to team members who have made wellness a part of their lives. Your "well" behaviors have contributed to our success as a company.
Wellness Program Cures Rising Health-Care Costs
By William J. Angelo, www.ern.construction.com (7/19/2004) - A large heavy civil and industrial contractor in Maine is working hard to become the healthiest company in America. Besides helping employees and dependents become healthier, its wellness program has reduced the open shop firm’s burgeoning health-care costs.
Pittsfield-based Cianbro Corp., a 2,000-member employee-owned firm, earns over $300 million in annual revenue and pays 80% of employees’ health costs. Its health-care costs were projected to reach $20 million by 2004, a huge boost over the $11.5 million it paid in 2001. “We asked, ‘Where is the $20 million going to come from?’” says Peter G. Vigue, Cianbro president and CEO. “Most firms would look to shift costs to employees or reduce benefits. We found that unattractive. Plus, we have a moral responsibility to our employees so we took a different path.”
Cianbro decided in 2001 to institute an employee wellness program, offering a $1,500 annual incentive for employees and families to join. Over 70% of employees now participate in the voluntary program and more are joining monthly due to success stories, says Vigue.
The firm looked for models to start a program but found none. So officials essentially grew it in-house with independent contractor Occupational Medical Consulting LLC, Leeds, Maine. OMC does full-time, one-on-one educational interventions with employees in order to reduce risky behavior, such as smoking and overeating, and promote healthier life-styles while giving employees the resources for corrective behavior.
“In January 2003, we instituted a tobacco-free workplace to include all our jobsites,” says Vigue. “We gave everybody six months notice and there were predictions of problems and resignations, but it never happened. We estimated 46% of our workers smoked and now we’re at 20%—but not at the workplace.” The ban also applies contractually to subcontractors and suppliers.
OMC believes rising health-care costs are directly related to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart and lung problems, which are mostly preventable through healthier living. “Now, we do individual health risk appraisals identifying problems and helping employees make small, achievable changes,” says Dr. Larry L. Catlett, OMC founder and president.
All employees are tracked on OMC- written software and the firm now is working with Cianbro to link their disability, sick day and absenteeism data to develop a more comprehensive tracking system. “We don’t have individual claim costs but we conservatively estimate Cianbro gets a $3.50 return per dollar on its investment,” Catlett says.
Since 2001 health-care costs have remained flat, even when accounting for the $300,000 for OMC’s doctor and educators and an insurance-sponsored 24-hour advice hot line, according to Vigue. Other results are equally impressive: 34% more employees are exercising on a regular basis, and there has been a 20% reduction in overweight employees and dependents, a 33% reduction in hypertension and a 25% reduction in high cholesterol. “We had one person lose over 200 pounds and a number have lost between 25 and 100 pounds,” says Vigue.
Other awards for wellness at Cianbro include:
Wellness Council of America's (WELCOA) Gold and Platinum Awards
(www.welcoa.org)
American Heart Association's Gold Heart Award
(www.americanheart.org)
