How Does Brindley Stay Safe on the Job?

Ask any construction business owner, regardless of the size of their firm, what their top priority is and you will probably get the same response every time—worker safety. The real question owners should be asking their general contractors is whether their safety program is vigorous enough to meet their commitment to protecting their workers. Four of the leading causes of construction worker fatalities are falls, electrocutions, being struck by objects, and being caught in or between objects. OSHA has dubbed these the “Fatal Four” and that typically accounts for over half of all construction worker deaths each year.

Construction is one of the most dangerous industries to work in, which is why programs and initiatives like Construction Safety Week (May 3 - 7, 2021) are so important to raising awareness about the importance of construction safety. Our commitment to staying safe and focusing on the job is a point of pride and strength that runs across our entire company. This is why—as individuals and a team—we must be alert, observant and always looking out for each other’s back.

One individual that plays a key role in keeping our company safe is, Jenny Hobbs. As well as being a project/marketing assistant, she is our Safety Coordinator. She makes sure that on a day-to-day basis, our jobsites have the safety items they need, as well as, the proper protocol in case of an emergency. She is also responsible for maintaining and completing all safety-related documents and items needed for our projects.

Since Jenny has been our Safety Coordinator, we have achieved level Gold— and now level Platinum—in the ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) Step Safety Award.

At Brindley Construction, we take many steps to ensure we are keeping our employees and our subcontractors safe, including:

✔️Having A Plan for Every Project – Before a project begins, we assess the potential safety hazards that could come up throughout the duration of the project. Each job has a completed Activity Hazard Analysis based on the scope of the job.

✔️Continuous Safety Training – Our employees participate in continuing education courses, i.e. fall protection and confined spaces. We also send out weekly toolbox talks on different matters pertaining to jobsite safety and mental wellness.

✔️Going Above and Beyond OSHA Standards – Every year, we participate in ABC’s Step Program which was founded as a safety benchmarking and improvement tool. Participating members measure their safety processes and policies on 25 key components through a detailed questionnaire with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce jobsite incidents. We have also been awarded ABC’s AQC (Accredited Quality Contractor), signifying that we are a company committed to providing our clients with the highest quality construction services and that we care deeply about our employees and the communities in which we build. To be a part of the AQC you must achieve and maintain a level Gold or higher in the ABC Step Safety Award.

✔️Hold Everyone Accountable – We not only hold our own team accountable, but we hold our subcontractors accountable as well. We use a company called Fortier to provide on-site inspections, as if they were OSHA, and they provide a report to us letting us know of any potential hazards or violations, along with potential fines that could be incurred through OSHA. We then provide the findings to the subcontractors involved and have them provide us with the corrective actions taken to avoid the potential hazard or violation.

One project we are currently working on that has extensive safety measures in place is the concrete project for Frito-Lay’s Expansion Project. We have worked closely with Edwardo Cruz, the Senior Site Safety & Health Specialist from Burnes McDonnell.

Each person working on the jobsite has to be drug tested, and each subcontractor on the job—including the Brindley crew—has a representative that reports for their company and addresses any findings or issues. Additional items such as a daily vehicle inspection checklist, activity hazard form and a daily pre-task analysis are also completed. All of these items are in place to guarantee we are keeping the jobsite as safe as can be— especially on big project's like this!

Safety is important no matter what industry you are in, however some jobs present more opportunities for injuries. Our goal at Brindley Construction is to send our employees home everyday to their family, injury-free and in one piece. We could not do this without the support of our team and the coordination of our very own Jenny Hobbs.  

 Are you taking the correct steps to ensure you and your employees are safe?