Getting to Know Hue: Justin Kuehnel
This employee spotlight features Justin Kuehnel, a Health & Safety Manager that has been working with our team since August 21, 2017. We asked Justin to give us an inside look into his passion for paint and what it means to be a Health & Safety Manager.
What are your responsibilities as the Health and Safety Manager at U.S. Paint?
Some of my responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:
- Provide direct support to production employees and be a liaison to management for safety related issues.
- Develop and conduct EHS training for employees and outside contractors.
- Identify and evaluate environmental, health and safety hazards.
- Assist in the transportation of hazardous materials and Dangerous Goods.
- Lead investigation of accident / near miss to determine root cause to prevent recurrence.
- Assist Human Resources with worker’s compensation issues.
Is there a team of people that work with you in the Environmental Health and Safety Department?
Yes. The department is broken down into two categories, Environmental and Health and Safety. My colleague, Laura Schubert, is directly responsible for all environmental aspects and I manage all health and safety aspects at U.S. Paint.
Why is health and safety important for U.S. Paint and its employees?
These types of positions are put in place to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths, as well as the suffering and financial hardships these events can cause for workers, their families, and employers.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Employee training. I enjoy being to talk to employees and help them expand their knowledge on how to be safe in the workplace.
What is something you would say to someone interested in joining the Health and Safety Department team or U.S. Paint in general?
U.S. Paint is a great place to work and offers flexibility to ensure a positive work / home life balance.
What do you enjoy doing as a hobby outside of U.S. Paint?
My oldest son and I started coin collecting a couple years ago. He has a decent collection that we do together. Each week, we look through bank boxes to fill these coin books for his collections:
· $0.50 (halves)
· $0.10 (dimes)
· $0.05 (nickels)
· $0.01 (pennies)
U.S. Paint is honored to be named one of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top Workplaces. This is a great accomplishment and is a testament to the culture, values and daily efforts of the U.S. Paint staff and leadership teams. We’re thrilled to have been included on the list, and thankful to our employees, who made this happen.
