SHELBY – Sunny skies, a light breeze and friendly competition kept smiles on the faces of N.C. Department of Transportation workers as they came together for an annual safety conference last week.
More than 100 employees from Division 12 – which includes Alexander, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell and Lincoln counties – tested their safety procedures and mechanical skills on equipment they use daily during the conference at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds.
“Year after year, our employees prove their dedication to safety procedures and mastering mechanical skills at the ROADEO,” said Brian Leonhardt, safety consultant for the division. “Each event simulates a real-world scenario workers face in the field, reinforcing best practices for safety.”
Some of the challenges included using the blade of a motor grader to knock tennis balls off traffic cones without hitting the cones and driving low-boy, tandem- and single-axle trucks through a line of tennis balls without hitting them.
Allie Sain, a transportation worker at the Cleveland County Maintenance Yard, participated in her first ROADEO this year in the skid-steer event, where operators moved traffic cones through an obstacle course and stack them in a row.
“I've been in a skid-steer since I was knee-high to a grasshopper," Sain said. "It was the friendliest thing to me, everything else seemed pretty intimidating."
With her first ROADEO now under her belt, Sain said she plans to compete again next year.
"Safety procedures advance all the time,” she said. “At the ROADEO, we refresh our memory on how to properly use our equipment and build relationships outside of jobsites."
The following employees will advance to a statewide competition later this summer:
- Single Axle Dump Truck: Michael Paisley, Traffic Services
- Tandem Dump Truck: Kevin Paisley, Iredell County Maintenance
- Low-boy: Kevin Deal, Iredell County Maintenance
- Backhoe: Duncan Smith, Lincoln County Maintenance
- Motorgrader: Chris Mecimore, Alexander County Maintenance
- Tractor-mower: Jessie Price, Alexander County Equipment Shop
- Skid-steer: Brian Peacock, Iredell County Maintenance