The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and AGC of America will collaborate on improving occupational safety and health at worksites throughout the United States. Stephen Sandherr, chief executive officer at AGC, and Cece Weldon, CSP, CHST, STS, BCSP board president, executed the partnership agreement, signing the document together at the recent AGC Safety and Health Committee Conference.

"BCSP is proud to partner with AGC to work together to strengthen the safety, health and environmental practice," says BCSP’s CEO, Dr. Treasa Turnbeaugh, CSP, ASP, CET. "AGC and BCSP leadership hold safety as a common value, and this agreement is the result of a desire on the part of each organization to further encourage the development of occupational safety and health professionals and practitioners."

As part of the partnership agreement, the organizations have committed to supporting OSH competency at all levels of the construction industry. AGC and BCSP will utilize technology to disseminate information on management systems, best practices, and career opportunities in OSH. They will provide support for students to enter OSH academic programs, encourage organizations’ use of certification, participate in events where safety and health are addressed, and facilitate the transfer of relevant occupational safety and health research findings to the body of knowledge of safety and health professionals.

"Our new partnership will do much more to help improve construction safety, including working to strengthen recruiting efforts designed to get students to consider careers as safety professionals," said Stephen Sandherr, chief executive officer of AGC of America. "Ultimately the Board and AGC share the same goal – a near future where every construction worker goes home safe and healthy every day."

In the last three years, BCSP Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) Sponsors Clark Construction Company, Flatiron Construction Corporation, Gilbane Building Company, Healy Tibbits Builders Inc, PCL Construction, Nova Group Inc, Sturgeon Electric Company, and URS Energy and Construction have each won the AGC/Willis First Place Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA), with PCL Construction and URS also receiving the top honor of Grand Award. This trend led to an AGC endorsement of BCSP safety certification in July 2013.

The new AGC-BCSP partnership agreement can be read in full here.

No one can see 360 degrees, but gaining a comprehensive view of where you are, where you are going and where you need to be can only strengthen the educated decisions construction professionals have to make everyday. Take the opportunity to step outside, analyze the direction your organization is heading, listen and compare that with other construction professionals and take that perspective back to your organization. Whether it’s a networking function at a local AGC Chapter, an industry event or the Annual Convention, AGC events provide you with the tools and access to take a step back for a well-rounded view of your company in comparison to others and the industry as a whole. As our premier event each year, the AGC Convention and Technology & Construction Solutions Expo is the ideal opportunity to see everything AGC can do for you and your business, as well as taking that much needed step outside the office to review the challenges of your organization in relation to your fellow construction professionals and the industry.

• Get the latest updates on congressional activity which directly affects construction safety and health.
• Hear from key OSHA representatives on the latest updates to regulations and OSHA activities.
• Participate on Subcommittee and Taskforce meetings - Government, Education and Performance.
• Take an active role in improving safety and health in the construction industry.

The AGC Safety & Health Committee Meeting is open to both interested AGC members and non-members.