M Bar C Construction Safety Program has earned two recognized safety awards-2019 AGC Construction Safety Excellence Award & 2019 ABC Platinum Safety Award.
In 2019, the M Bar C Construction Safety Program and crew earned two recognized safety awards. M Bar C Construction is proud to add the 2019 AGC Construction Safety Excellence Award (Specialty Division, 1st Place) and the 2019 ABC Platinum Safety Award to our already impressive list of safety accolades. These awards prove to be a powerful acknowledgment of our crews’ unwavering dedication to safety. Additionally, the ABC Platinum Safety Award also recognizes our continued improvement since 2018’s ABC Silver Safety Award.
Safety within the construction industry has continued to grow and improve at not only M Bar C, but nationwide as well. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), partners with over 2,100 inspectors that are responsible for the health and safety of over 130 million workers. OSHA has reported that after four decades of OSHA processes being in place, Worker deaths in America are down on average, from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 14 a day in 2017.
In 2019 M Bar Construction crews were awarded the esteemed ABC Platinum Safety Award. 2019 marks the first-year M Bar C Construction earned platinum, compared to the previous years Silver Award. Justin Bailey, M Bar C Construction, Safety Manager explained the reasons behind this elevated award; “Our shift from silver to platinum is grounded in the fact that we’ve increased our manhours and the number employees, while still reducing the number of safety incidents.” So just how has the M Bar C Safety Program improved over the last year? I sat down with Justin and talked about what improvements have been made to our awarded safety program. Justin credits three main drivers in the celebrated improvement of the M Bar C Safety Program:
Ownership of Safety
Justin explained “As the year passed-I observed more and more team members, really wanting to ‘own’ safety. Safety developed from something that we talk about to something that every team member took responsibility for. In 2019, I received more calls and questions about safety and processes, than I ever have before. This tells me that our crews are truly wanting the best possible safety processes. I largely credit this shif to the success of our safety program.”
Relating to Safety
After working in the field for 6 years, Justin connects to our field crews’ approach to safety; “Coming from the field, I know sometimes you’re tempted to just pass your audits and keep your schedule. As long as you’re doing that, you assume you’re fine. However, it’s more than that, once we recognize that ‘Safety First’ is not just an agenda but something we truly live the concept of safety becomes less abstract. Relating directly to safety processes, why we have them and how they work, helps our teams bring safety into every step. That’s when safety becomes engrained versus a distant concept.”
Valuing Safety
The push for safety is a common thread throughout the construction industry. Justin has an explanation for why safety is particularly valued at M Bar C; “Sure, from an hour’s perspective, safety can cost us. Think about the impact that an injury on-site makes. But on a higher level, the family level, the level at which M Bar C operates at-who knows how deeply an injury can cost a team member. In the field, you spend sometimes months in hotels and on the site with your team members. Your team members become like family. You would never want them to get hurt. Valuing safety isn’t just about efficiency-it’s about valuing the people you work with and the families they represent.”
With a plan for further development and growth, the M Bar C Safety Program is set to thrive throughout 2020. The development of an office specific safety program will create a pulse of safety that will reach all departments of M Bar C. Additionally, M Bar C will also be installing a true to site example of a structure, on the M Bar C campus. This structure will be utilized for first-hand training, process development and safety initiatives for every field worker we employ.
The commitment to safety and the betterment of these processes will always be a leading initiative for M Bar C Construction. As Justin concluded, “For M Bar C, safety isn’t just about saving the company money and increasing efficiency. Safety is about ensuring that our team members return home safely to their families at the close of each day.”