LAYTON — As far as Ki Ho Kang is concerned, if people want to offer advice then it would be a mistake not to accept the help.
“If there is someone who knows what is supposed to happen, why not take their advice?” Kang said.
That type of attitude has really paid off for Kang’s company, KIHOMAC.
On Tuesday, the Layton business became just the eighth company in Utah to be recognized by the Utah Labor Commission as part of its Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program.
SHARP recognizes employers who operate an exemplary safety and health management system. Being accepted into SHARP is an achievement of status that singles out businesses among their peers as a model for work site safety and health.
KIHOMAC provides life cycle support for the United States Air Force’s premier attack aircraft, the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The aircraft was on the assembly line from 1975-1983 and the USAF only planned on using the plane for 15-20-years, Kang said. However, the Air Force wants to continue using the plane through 2040.
So KIHOMAC is making that goal possible.
“We bring in parts of the aircraft, figure out what is wrong with them and how to repair them, and then turn the information over to the Air Force,” said Chris Burton, KIHOMAC’s director of prototype engineering and fabrication center. “Basically we tell them how to keep the airplane flying.”
The reverse engineering company also provides similar acquisition, engineering and technical data support for other military air crafts, but the A-10 is the main emphasis of KIHOMAC’s focus.
When KIHOMAC built its fabrication center two years ago, Burton made the decision to be completely compliant with the Utah Occupational Safety and Health Act. That meant every time a new piece of equipment was brought in, Burton contacted Utah Occupational Safety and Health officials and had them inspect how the equipment was going to be used and offer suggestions as to how to make the operation of the equipment safe. The goal was to be part of the prestigious SHARP program.
“Ki Ho gave me the latitude needed to do this,” Burton said. “He said to spend money on being it. It’s safe, and we want to be safe.”
For the company’s president and CEO, the decision to spend the needed money was an easy choice.
“Obviously, the last thing a business owner wants is the call saying someone got hurt,” Kang said. “Employees are part of your family. Sometimes safety is not cheap, but the alternative is not pleasant.”
UOSH representatives Cathy Van Duser and Shaheen Safiullah said that KIHOMAC was serious about making its work safe.
“They have to show that they go above and beyond the regular safety procedures,” Safiullah said.
“They’re reception was the right attitude,” Van Duser said. “If there were any shortcomings that they would have to fix, they did it.”
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