2012 Safety Person of the Year

Thompson models safety on road, at maintenance facilities

A veteran of three decades in District 2, Blake Thompson has distinguished himself as a model for safety both in vehicles and the facility he calls home during the day.

His leadership by example earns him the ITD Safety Person of the Year award, to be presented Thursday during the Idaho Transportation Board monthly meeting in Boise.

Thompson, who began his career as a transportation technician in Grangeville 30 years ago, received high marks from his peers for his passion for driver and worker safety.

“Blake’s personal commitment to the road he maintains and the safety of the lives traveling in his foreman area can be summed up with his proactive attitude, his positive approach to the work, tactfulness in interacting with the people he comes in contact with …” they wrote in nominating Thompson for the award.

“Blake takes an innovative and practical approach to ensure safe driving conditions during all seasons, especially in the winter.”

He and his crew were instrumental in the initial and continued use of magnesium chloride as a treatment for highways in the district. U.S. 12, which serpentines east to Montana and crosses Lolo Pass proved challenging for winter maintenance and was beset by crashes and slide-offs.

“In an effort to increase safety and stem these accidents, Blake has embraced the use of deicer. In his decision-making, Bake integrates the use of RWIS (road weather information system) and weather forecasts to apply the magnesium chloride at the optimum time to get the most benefit from its application,” explains the nomination letter.

He and his crews also helped pioneer the first use of “Liteforce” lights in the district for use during fog and limited-visibility conditions. Lights used previously required higher amperage to operate and had a relatively short life. The new lighting systems were introduced as a pilot project on two trucks to determine their effectiveness.

Testing quickly proved their efficiency and ability to perform well in storms.

“They produced a strong beam of light and were long-lasting,” according to Thomson’s nomination letter. “Through this initial work, Blake and his crew were influential in the eventual conversion throughout the district to this safer, more rugged lighting system.”

After his initial assignment in Grangeville, he was promoted to lead worker at the Lucille maintenance facility and then to “Principle Technician” in Lewiston. He transferred to ITD’s facility in Orofino in 1996 and has remained there the past 16 years.

Thompson and his crews developed a safety rest stop and sportsman access at Lenore with the assistance of inmate labor. The project included construction of a 30-foot gabion wall next to the Clearwater River. It was backfilled with material removed during ditch cleanings from the highway right of way. The area was leveled, dressed and paved and now provides parking for travelers who use the rest area.

Blake has consistently shown a positive attitude toward safety, according to his District 2 colleagues. His crew has the lowest accident totals in the district over the past five years.

Published 10-12-2012