D1 Dave Bohrn continues safety legacy,
is ITD's Safety Person of the Year

In District 1, Dave Bohrn’s name has become nearly synonymous with the word “safety” during his 34-year career with ITD, so it’s no surprise that ITD district engineers from around the state selected him as the Safety Person of the Year.

“His name is always the first one suggested to evaluate safety needs,” Assistant Operations Engineer Mike Lenz said. “He has been involved with safety work for the past 28 years and is consistently reliable.”

According to Operations Engineer Jerry Wilson, Bohrn’s service is a continuation of his father’s, who served with ITD on statewide teams for decades as well.

Bohrn’s safety work at ITD has encompassed initiatives benefitting not only employees but also members of the public.

For more than a decade, Bohrn appeared as a familiar face at drivers’ education classes, reaching about 1,000 young drivers in the 1990s. His presentations covered the do's and don’t's of winter driving around plows and gave students a chance to view these specialized machines up close.

As an operations team member out of the Sandpoint area, he has worked with safety compliance officer Keith Viebrock to develop updated training—which was ultimately adopted statewide—for hazmat issues in the field.

His regular attendance at the local emergency planning meeting ensures ITD remains an active participant in vital discussions, with our most recent coordination involving an emergency drill for responding to a spill from the railroad tracks over Lake Pend Oreille.

Although he has spent significant time preparing and providing other trainings to co-workers, Bohrn’s safety attitude has been extended to the public as well.

When it came to recruiting D1 operations for a summit team focused on teaching young drivers how to safely navigate our winters (S.N.O.W.), Bohrn was once again one of the first names mentioned.

His expertise from countless years as an operator and presenter helped the S.N.O.W. summit team make the final eight, along with securing buy-in from highways leadership.

Although his designation is Safety Person of the Year, with Bohrn it reflects a life-long disposition for sharing safety with others.

Published 11-02-18