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This week marks the second annual industry-wide Safety Week. More than 40 construction companies and trade associations have joined together to inspire the construction industry to be leaders in safety. The group established an annual Safety Week last year to heighten safety awareness throughout the industry. Its purpose is to thank workers for working safely, increase their awareness of applicable safety topics and hazards, inspire them to work safely, educate them about safe work practices and celebrate their good health and well-being.
Each day during Safety Week, an occupational safety topic will be emphasized. Participants can highlight the topics within their companies any way they choose. The suggested topics for 2015 are:
May 4 - Fall Protection
May 5 - Soft Tissue Incidents
May 6 - Health and Wellness
May 7 - Hand Protection or Head and Eye Protection
May 8 - Celebrate and Recognize Positive Safety Accomplishments.
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 OSHA and its industry partners hope to reach workers and employers from many industries during the 2015 National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls. From May 4-15, participants are asked to pause their workday and participate in safety training in fall prevention. Last year more than 1 million employers and workers across the country joined the effort, making it the largest occupational safety event ever hosted in the United States.
In preparation for this year's stand-down events, employers and workers are encouraged to visit the 2015 Stand-Down page where they can find free fall prevention training materials in both English and Spanish, including the new 2015 Stand-Down poster, a list of local events, and also receive a certificate of participation signed by Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez.
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Highway Work Zone Safety Training Construction workers make up approximately 4 percent of the country's workforce but account for an average of 17 percent of all job-related fatalities each year. And, according to a November 2013 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2003-2010, 962 highway construction workers were killed at road construction sites with 87 percent of the deaths being workers who were working onsite at the time of the incident. AGC of America, supported by a Susan Harwood Federal Grant, is pleased to offer Highway Work Zone Safety Training, a one-day program based on OSHA standards and best practices to answer the need for qualified training within the industry.
May 28-29, 2015
Arizona Chapter AGC
Phoenix, Arizona
Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey
Edison, New Jersey
AGC Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Carolinas AGC
Charlotte, North Carolina
Carolinas AGC
Columbia, South Carolina
June 17-19, 2015
Arlington, Virginia
The AGC Safety Management Training Course (SMTC) provides attendees three days of training on the basic skills needed to manage a company safety program in the construction industry. Participants receive intensive instruction and training that will allow them to return to their fi rms with readily applicable new skills to positively impact their company’s safety and health program.
AGC Safety and Health Conference July 8-10, 2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Construction safety and health is vital for the success of the industry. Join more than 150 industry professionals and participate in the development of regulatory and legislative activity on both a national and local level, assist in the development and creation of new safety training programs and products and hear the latest initiatives from OSHA and other industry experts.
- 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 Conference is open to both interested AGC members and non-members.
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Brasfield & Gorrie, a member of multiple AGC chapters, is joining with other construction industry professionals in observing Safety Week 2015, an industry-wide initiative to help raise awareness of safety in the construction industry.
During the week of May 3-9, 2015, the company will host events and activities at its offices and jobsites to help raise awareness, share best practices, and continue developing a strong safety culture. Aimed at increasing employee engagement in safety efforts, Brasfield & Gorrie’s efforts will be focused around the theme, "You See It, You Own It, You Share It." The campaign will emphasize the importance of safety not only in the field, but also in the office and at home.
"Safety Week 2015 is an opportunity for Brasfield & Gorrie to join with the entire construction industry to help raise awareness of the importance of safety in construction and to foster sharing of best practices and ideas," said Brasfield & Gorrie Corporate Safety Director Troy Ogden. "Through our participation in Safety Week 2015, we aim to help build momentum around safety, our top corporate value, not just within our own organization, but in the industry as a whole."
As part of the company’s observation of Safety Week 2015, Brasfield & Gorrie employees will participate in a variety of activities that elevate worker safety and health. Many of Brasfield & Gorrie’s 200 active jobsites across 21 states will hold training sessions, such as safety stand-down events and emergency action plan drills. Others will hold events designed to foster safety conversations, such as team safety walks and safety lunches. Many jobsites are also encouraging employees to post pictures to a safety display board demonstrating why they work safe.
In addition, all Brasfield & Gorrie employees will receive construction activity books to share with children, relatives, or friends. Designed to help promote safety awareness for the whole family, the books feature activities to help introduce safety to children and foster safety conversations.
For more information on Safety Week 2015, visit www.safetyweek2015.com.
Founded in 1964, Brasfield & Gorrie is one of the nation's largest privately held construction firms, providing general contracting, design-build, and construction management services for a wide variety of markets. We are skilled in construction best practices, including virtual design and construction, integrated project delivery, and lean construction, but we are best known for our preconstruction and self-perform expertise and exceptional client service. Brasfield & Gorrie has 11 offices and approximately 2,600 employees. Our 2014 revenues were $2.2 billion. Engineering News-Record ranks Brasfield & Gorrie 22nd among the nation's "Top 400 Contractors" for 2014.
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Skanska, a member of multiple AGC chapters, is challenging its more than 10,000 employees across the country to closely examine how they plan for daily tasks as it launches its 11th annual Safety Week from May 3-9.
The intent of this year’s "Plan for Today" theme is to reinforce Skanska’s Injury-free Environment® through meaningful discussions among craft workers that aim to eliminate complacency that too often leads to accidents.
"Construction sites can change not only every day in many ways but every hour, down to the immediate surroundings of a crew’s work area," said Skanska USA President & CEO Rich Cavallaro. "Whether you’ve been in the field for 30 years or 30 days, the conditions and risks of a work area are unique. Safety Week gives us a platform to remind everyone on a site that we need to be constantly vigilant and to not only plan for the known, but also for the possible."
Skanska’s theme is in response to an industry-wide trend: construction injury rates in the United States are dramatically lower than in past decades, but have levelled off short of the ultimate goal of zero injuries. From 2003 to 2011, the construction industry reduced its total recordable injury rate from nearly seven for every 200,000 man-hours worked to half that amount, but has stayed roughly at the same rate since.
"Everyone, from the executive suite to the journeyman carpenter wants to see an injury-free industry," said Skanska USA Chief Environment, Health & Safety Officer Hendrik van Brenk. "When we see injuries, it’s often from a factor that wasn’t taken into account on site. We know our craft workers on the front lines are the ones who see potential hazards first, so we want to empower them to take the lead through conversations and proactivity."
Skanska’s hundreds of project sites in the United States have planned daily activities for Safety Week. Each site is sharing a daily "toolbox talk" designed to drive meaningful conversations among individual work crews about approaching work with a fresh perspective every day. These activities are complemented by site-specific activities that have been selected by project teams themselves. Activities range from training sessions and safety product demos to award recognitions and crew stand downs to focus on specific job site hazards.
Additionally, Skanska is participating in the 2nd annual construction Industry Safety Week, which it helped establish in 2014. This year, more than 40 partners from across the industry are participating.
"Safety calls for collaboration, not competition," added van Brenk. "The same union and subcontractor workers handle projects for all of us. If we can establish a culture of safety among them that goes from project to project, we will be one step closer to an accident-free construction industry."
"I truly believe our industry can achieve zero accidents," said Ross Vroman, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska’s Phoenix office. "As our Phoenix operations continue to grow, we have a tremendous opportunity to ensure we create a
Skanska USA is one of the largest, most financially sound construction and development companies in the U.S., serving a broad range of clients including those in transportation, power, industrial, water/wastewater, healthcare, education, sports, data centers, government, aviation and commercial. Headquartered in New York with offices in 33 metro areas, we have more than 10,000 employees committed to being leaders in safety, project execution, sustainability, ethics and people development. In 2014, our work in building construction, civil and power/industrial construction, commercial development and infrastructure development (public-private partnerships) generated $7.3 billion in revenue. Global revenue of parent company Skanska AB, headquartered in Stockholm and listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, totaled $21 billion in 2014. Skanska shares are publicly traded in the U.S. on the OTC market under the symbol SKBSY through a Level I American Depository Receipt program.
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AGC of America now offers a new, dynamic, and cost-effective way for AGC member firms to provide quality health insurance and other employee benefits. AGC’s new private exchange program is available exclusively to AGC member firms with 100+ employees in all states and in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin for firms with 10 or more employees. If you are in one of these states or have over 100 employees, contact us to find out how The AGC Alternative can help your company build a better benefits package – one that benefits you and your employees.
To learn more or to get a quote for your company prior to your renewal, visit www.agc.org/exchange or call Willis†at 1-800-210-5290 to discuss your company’s needs with a benefits specialist.
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Welcome to Safety Week 2015
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