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At AA Sign & Awning, safety isn’t just a checklist; it’s a promise. As a company that designs, fabricates, and installs signs across New England, their crews face unique risks every day: working at heights, rigging heavy aluminum poles in busy urban environments, and troubleshooting electrical systems outdoors in all kinds of weather. For AA Sign & Awning, a strong safety program isn’t optional; it’s the foundation of their success.
“At AA Sign & Awning, safety is how we keep our promises to our team and our customers,” said Patience Kleine, Special Project Manager and Health & Safety Officer. “Beacon helped us take our old habits and transform them into a true culture of safety—one where everyone speaks up, pauses when conditions change, and takes ownership of protecting each other.”
From Challenges to Culture Change
Like many companies in the construction and fabrication world, AA Sign & Awning once struggled with rushed installs, untrained workers, and subpar equipment. But today, they’ve completely reimagined their approach to workplace safety.
The team now follows a simple rhythm: plan → brief → do → review. Job hazard analysis and lift plans are completed before every project; quick tailboard talks happen on-site, and debriefs ensure lessons learned get applied to future work. Every employee has stop-work authority, and new hires must complete OSHA training and hands-on equipment checkoffs before stepping on the shop floor.
The results have been dramatic:
- More near-miss reporting (a sign of a safer, more open culture)
- Better PPE compliance and lift planning
- Fewer incidents and faster return-to-work outcomes when accidents do happen
- Updated safety systems, including new machine guards, lockout/tagout, eyewash stations, weekly in-house OSHA inspections, and daily forklift inspections.
- A confident crew that knows safety comes first—even when project timelines are tight
“With Beacon’s support, we’ve gone from reactive to proactive. Our crew is more confident, our processes are sharper, and safety has become second nature. Not only something we talk about every day, but our culture,” Kleine added.
From Training to Transformation
One of the pivotal moments in AA Sign & Awning’s safety journey came when Beacon was invited in to conduct a mock OSHA walkthrough at their facility. That exercise provided AA Sign & Awning with a prioritized list of corrections and improvements—from fire safety layout updates to electrical compliance—that became the roadmap for their transformation.
The training sparked important conversations about hazards unique to their shop and job sites. From there, Kleine and several employees completed the OSHA 10 Construction course through Beacon and shaped their health and safety reform within every division of the company.
“What I love is that Beacon is supportive,” Kleine said. “Beacon has been collaborative, attentive, and responsive to the unique needs of the sign industry as we work in the worlds of manufacturing/fabrication and installation/construction.”
Partnering with Beacon Mutual
As their workers’ compensation carrier, Beacon Mutual has been more than just an insurance partner, they’ve been a guide. AA Sign has leaned on Beacon’s safety team for on-site hazard assessments, health and safety plan development, and training resources like OSHA-10.
Chris Benson, Senior Loss Prevention Consultant at Beacon, explained:
“Our partnership with AA Sign & Awning has always been about support, not policing. We’re not here to fine you or point fingers, we’re here to help fix issues so employees stay safe, premiums stay lower, and everyone benefits. When a company can control injuries, claims, and reputation, everybody wins.”
That partnership was especially visible when AA Sign & Awning was selected to fabricate and install Beacon’s own headquarters signage. Working closely with Beacon’s safety consultants, AA Sign & Awning planned every detail—hazard analyses, crane plans, fall protection, and traffic control. Despite challenging weather and ground conditions, the installation was completed cleanly, on time, and incident-free.
“AA Sign & Awning embraced safety with open arms,” Benson said. “They didn’t just check boxes; they built a program that works for their people and their projects. That’s the kind of commitment that reduces injuries, lowers claims, and strengthens reputation.”
A Safer Future
Today, safety is more than a rule at AA Sign & Awning; it’s a running conversation. From daily inspections to new vendor partnerships for protective gear, the company has embedded workplace safety into every layer of their operations. With Beacon Mutual by their side, AA Sign & Awning continues to prove that protecting workers and delivering quality go hand in hand.
For Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut businesses, the lesson is clear: workplace safety isn’t a burden, it’s a strategy for resilience. And with the right workers’ compensation partner, it’s a strategy that pays off.
Beacon's Safety Services
Beacon Mutual is proud to provide loss prevention and ergonomic services at no additional cost to policyholders. With a large team of safety experts from a variety of disciplines, Beacon's Loss Prevention Representatives and Ergonomic Specialists will outline the steps needed to establish an effective loss prevention program. Our goal is to help establish a realistic safety process that will prevent injuries and accidents, improve employees’ attitudes toward safety, and minimize claim costs. Learn more about safety services.
For further information on securing workers' compensation insurance from Beacon Mutual, reach out to your independent agent today—Beacon will help you put together the best recipe for safety and prevention in your workplace!
Tessa Tavares Costa Content & Customer Experience Marketer, Co-Chair Beacon's DEI Committee