Gaines’s Longtime Partner for Lifting and Rigging Safety Assurance

Certex’s Joe Huggins performing chain inspections at a Gaines jobsite in Maryland

Safety on the jobsite doesn’t come from one person, one crew, or even one company. It comes from a commitment to safety from each employee, supplier, and contractor involved in the project. When it comes to lifting and rigging equipment, Certex’s Joe Huggins gives Gaines confidence that everyone on the jobsite will stay safe.

Gaine’s Safety Director Dominic Pope (right) with Certex’s Joe Huggins (left)

Joe started in the industry at age 19 and now has a total of 47 years of lifting and rigging experience. He even ran The James Walker Company (now Certex USA) rigging shop for 28 years. He knows what to look for to make sure processes are seamless and equipment is flawless– free of significant wear, knicks, cuts.

Joe has been partnering with Gaines for 11 years. He works primarily with Gaines’s Maryland office, with a counterpart assisting the Gaines office in North Carolina. The Certex USA team makes sure Gaines’s lifting and rigging equipment is in adequate condition and used correctly. But their commitment to keeping Gaines crews safe goes even further.

Joe takes time to answer questions from Gaines’s crew members, enhancing Gaines’s safety performance.

“Every day before work, our crews inspect all tools and equipment. But once a year, OSHA requires a rigging and chain inspection by a qualified person – which is a certified subject matter expert,” said Gaines Safety Director Dominic Pope.

Joe recently spent three days visiting all 13 Gaines crews in the Maryland area. He inspected all lifting and rigging equipment per OSHA requirements, and even took time to share his expertise with crew members.

Thank you, Joe, and the Certex team for partnering with us in keeping our workers safe!

“Gaines and Company has a very, very good safety program. From owners Myrt and Lee Gaines, to Dominic, to the supervisors, to the employees – they’re all on board,” said Joe. “Because of that, their workers ask me what to look for. So I take the time to show them. It’s fantastic what they’ve done as a company.”

“Joe’s motto is: ‘Service after the sale’. He stands by that and has stood by that for the entire time we’ve worked together. He doesn’t just sell us equipment and walk away. He is a true partner in safety, and we are so grateful that he works with us,” said Dominic.

A Certex representative and qualified person will soon conduct OSHA rigging and chain inspections throughout Gaines’s North Carolina job sites. Thank you, Certex, for your strong partnership in safety.

Gaines and Company is a full-service grading and excavation company with offices in Maryland and North Carolina. The organization has 70 years of experience in underground utilities, grading and excavating, sediment and erosion controls, and road work. Gaines and Company delivers safe, reliable, turnkey site development services in Maryland, North Carolina, Washington D.C., and Delaware on time and within budget.