Jeffrey (Jeff) D. Meddin, CSP (Ret), CHEP, CHCM, WSO-CSE
Retired Safety Professional
Jeff grew up in a family meat packing company in Savannah, GA where he learned the importance of safety and how unforgiving accidents could be. The business received several safety certificates from their insurance carrier for no lost time injuries, a true honor in the early 1950s and ‘60s. During this time Jeff volunteered and trained with the American Red Cross on their Emergency Service Team and with the Civil Defense in land line communications and as a shelter manager as Atlantic hurricanes frequented the Georgia coastal area where he lived. He started and finished his college education with a B.B.A. in Management and Marketing having taken a 4-year hiatus to serve in the US Air Force during the Viet Nam Era as an Aircraft and Avionics Instrument Repairman.
After returning to Savannah, Jeff was hired as Production Manager for a local residential, multi-family and light commercial construction company. The owner of the company, being the current President of the local homebuilder’s association, tasked Jeff with finding out what this new government organization called OSHA was all about so he could present the information to the other home builders their subcontractors and suppliers in several seminars. This was his first exposure to OSHA and when discovering that the local Area Director lived in his neighborhood, became quite knowledgeable and a staunch advocate for the organization and the enforcement of safety in the workplace. It was during this time that 10 safety people in Savannah, all being members of the Georgia Chapter in Atlanta, petitioned the ASSE to form the Savannah Chapter. The process took almost two years since the petition had to be hand signed and safety people back then were geographically scattered over much of Southeast Georgia.
Jeff was hired as the project safety director for Continental Can’s pulp and paper machine rebuild but had to spend the first 6 months in Augusta as the Assistant Safety Director on the construction of their new bleach mill. This gave him time to learn a new industry, heavy construction and working around liquid chlorine and training the rescue squad and construction workers in the use of escape respirators. It was this training and time away from home that permitted him to research and write the first comprehensive project safety manual. Within the year, Jeff was asked to simultaneously become the plant’s safety director so the plant personnel could be trained in the new plant and equipment as they merged the finished paper mill and power plant. For those of you who don’t know it, a pulp and paper mill is really a big chemical plant.
Following this project, Jeff was promoted to the position of Regional Safety Director working out of Metric’s headquarters in Charlotte. During this time, Jeff spent whatever time he had during the day in whatever city he was in participating with the local ASSE Chapter (i.e. Tar Heel Chapter in Charlotte in the 1970s). In 1980, Jeff was hired by Zurn Industries, Inc. to be their first safety director for the newly formed Zurn Cooling Tower Division based in Tampa, Florida. At that time, they had projects scattered from Florida to Washington State at various nuclear plants under construction. The division serviced the nuclear power industry building cooling towers for plants under construction in Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Washington state then Florida, New York and other locations. The division grew to include building chimneys and precast bridges, becoming one of the country’s two largest precast concrete companies with plants strategically placed to supply their projects.
Several years later as the nuclear power industry started winding down, Jeff was promoted to the position of Corporate Director of Safety for Zurn Industries, Inc. a Fortune 200 company. Zurn, based in Erie, had 20 manufacturing companies and 10 construction companies, no two in the same SIC (NAIC) code, scattered throughout North America. Many had multiple plants and operation permitting him to plan his own schedule and travel almost anywhere in North America. He was fortunate that his immediate supervisor, Treasure and Risk Manager for Zurn, believed in our company getting involved in professional and industry associations and permitted him to travel wherever he needed to go as long as it was on the way to or from one of their operations on the way. The company’s outstanding safety record was recognized by the various industry associations they belonged to and Jeff was appointed to head one of the National Association of Manufacturers Safety and Environmental Committee.
Jeff worked out of the Tampa office for the next 17 years. As a member of the West Florida chapter of ASSE he progressed through all the chairs the West Florida Chapter. It was there that he implemented the concept of “train your successor.” He also expanded his involvement with ASSE on a national level. He served on the ASSE National Member Education Committee where their first long range plan introduced the Society to the idea of using satellites for long distance learning (the Board thought they were crazy) and represented the Society as a Construction Safety Professional for the OSHA Construction Advisory Board and the BLS Committee on developing the OSHA 300 Recordkeeping system. It was during this time that Jeff was the recipient of his Chapter, Regional and the National SPY Award and later the Culbertson Award.
Zurn and Jeff moved to Dallas in 1987 where he was involved with the local ASSE chapter during his 3 years there before getting caught up in three merger and acquisitions. He secured employment with Railworks Corporation, a new IPO, that rolled up local and regional rail construction, maintenance and manufacturing companies based in Baltimore. His position reported to the CEO.
He quickly started learning the new safety requirements of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) by applying his professional knowledge of safety while developing the company’s Corporate Safety Manual. The new manual had to comply with the stringent safety requirements of the FRA while working on client Railroad’s right-of-way and OSHA when working on industrial client’s plants and sidings. Railworks being a relatively new company, was quickly recognized as a leader in the industry and its’ local and regional managers, many having had their own companies that were rolled up into the new company, were very involved in the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRCMA). It wasn’t long before their safety record and involvement with the FRA were recognized and Jeff was appointed to head the NRCMA’s Safety Committee.
He was later appointed to represent the Association on the ANSI A10 Committee where still holds that position. Jeff has challenged the current Railworks Safety Director to become his alternate and is presently grooming him to take Jeff’s place on the A10 Committee when he ultimately retires. After the departure of CEO number 6 Jeff left the company. This is the same model Jeff proposes if he is appointed our chapter’s membership chairman. He applied for the Safety and Occupational Health Specialist with the VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) in Baltimore. During his interview and with a visit from the Joint Commission looming on the near horizon, they decided he was a better fit for the Emergency Management Coordinator’s (EMC) position based on his experience. He served in this position for the next 6 ½ years until the organization received a less than sterling inspection by the VA Inspector General’s office showing the need for a construction safety program.
Jeff was moved into this position when his EMC replacement was found and brought up to speed. He served as the VAMHCS’ Construction Safety Officer during numerous major renovation and remediation projects inside the operating hospitals, nursing home and outpatient clinics without incident. A 90 unit housing renovation project was added to the internal hospital projects and with prudent attention and monitoring, was concluded with only one minor contractor injury. The project was recognized by the Regional and National VA Central Office as a model for the Agency. Jeff’s was recognized for his efforts and expertise by the Hospital System and Regional Directors. He retired from the VA and Federal Government the summer of 2018 after 14 years of Federal Service and 10 with the VAMHCS before moving to Raleigh this past summer. As he says, COVID did not make it easy to learn the area, meet people and get involved with professional or community organizations so when the EC asked if he was interested in becoming the Chapter’s Membership Chair, he couldn’t turn it down.
We are proud to have Safety Professionals such as Jeff Meddin and all our previously spotlighted members in our NC Chapter. In truth, we are proud of all our active members for their efforts to make the world a safer place.