ATSSA Signal Jan/Feb 2019

American Traffic Safety Services Association 34 Training News In recent years, ATSSA has explored the procedures its member companies practice to train, hire, and retain employees. This analysis began after a 2016 sur- vey found that ATSSA members iden- tified finding and retaining qualified employees as one of their top business challenges. “ATSSA has made many efforts to ad- dress the issue of hiring and retaining employees. We have found through our communication and research that train- ing and retaining roadway workers has come to the forefront as an obstacle for many association members,” ATSSA Vice President of Member Services Donna Clark said. From the association’s initiative to pro- vide tools and resources to assist its members’ hiring and retention efforts came new business sessions held during ATSSA’s 48th Annual Convention & Traf- fic Expo that specifically addressed these issues. ATSSA Director of Training Jessica Schey- der said ATSSA is committed to provid- ing the highest quality training, which is consistently in line with the guide- lines set forth in the Manual on Assess- ing Safety Hardware (MASH) and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control De- vices (MUTCD). According to ATSSA board member and Guidemark, Inc. President Doug Dolinar, the safety of his employees is his num- ber one concern. He attributes his com- pany’s success and high retention rates to providing adequate training and respect. “We’re concerned about their safety, and they understand that we care about them,” Dolinar said. “In addition to the training, there’s a lot of work we do equip- ment-wise and procedure-wise to make sure our employees are protected out Train Retain Sustain ATSSA member companies share how they train and retain roadway employees, maintain a strong work force