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James Hickman shaves the head of Rick Guidry after landfill workers went all of 2009 without an accident. |
By CATHY DYSON
Workers at the King George County Landfill had a cookout in the middle of January, but no one seemed to mind the cool temperatures.
Except, maybe, Rick Guidry.
"I was surprised how cold your head can get when you don't have a lot of hair on top," he said.
Moments before Guidry grilled steaks for the 38 employees of the regional landfill, he had his head shaved by James Hickman, the company's rail manager.
In early 2009, Guidry promised the workers dinner and a show, of sorts, if the crew went the whole year without a recordable injury. When the group met the goal--which Guidry says is the first time in at least eight years without a single incident--Guidry got out the barbecue tongs and razors.
Everyone wanted to be at the Jan. 13 safety meeting, said Brandy Lewis, the operations support specialist at the landfill.
"Not because of the steak lunch, but to see Rick get his head shaved," Lewis said.
Guidry is the former district manager at the landfill, which is operated by Waste Management. He recently was promoted to post-collection operations director for the three-state area of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
He's still involved with the day-to-day duties at King George until his replacement is found.
Guidry is "genuinely concerned for his employees," said Jack Rose, one of two crew leaders at the landfill.
"Rick is a great guy, very professional [and] always upfront," Rose said.
For the last four years, the King George landfill has handled about 1.3 million tons of trash each year.
Accidents that can happen in such a facility include crushed fingers and toes, injured backs, needle sticks and even deaths, Guidry said.
Guidry was glad to get a new hairdo if it meant none of his co-workers got hurt in 2009.
"I look at it as, I won a bet," he said. "It is so worth it, not having any accidents or incidents. Obviously, we hope to continue that trend."
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com
