When members think of ABC, they know right away the pride the association and the members feel for America. It’s a core value that helps drive our mission to advocate for free and open enterprise that ultimately lifts the construction industry as a whole.
We make it known right away that ABC members build America. In Michigan, merit shop contractors represent roughly 80% of the construction industry. We have to do the job right! If ABC is to safety like America is to apple pie, then it is paramount we offer every path for members to prioritize safety and protect employees on the jobsite.
ABC SEMI hosted Safety Academy in February in partnership with ABC National. Vice President of Health, Safety, Environmental and Workforce Development Greg Sizemore led local business owners and managers through a two-day workshop about not just the importance of building a safety culture from the top down, but how to implement a plan that will stick.
“The interaction with other contractors was also a critical part of the success of the Academy. Listening to other’s challenges and successes makes me feel that I’m truly part of a community at ABC SEMI,” said Mark Shulte, general manager at Paul C. Scott & Sons Plumbing. “I found the in-depth discussion with regard to the STEP program to be particularly valuable. Truly analyzing each and every component helped me better understand exactly where we have improved from last year and where we can add more focus to get even better.”
Shulte continued saying that since they’ve began attending safety programs and trainings, their business has become very conscious of their safety practices and are able to adjust as needed without interruption of business.
Power Solutions, Inc. brought several of their team members to attend, citing that safety is a critical part of keeping employees around.
“We do a lot to keep our safety culture fresh, relevant and up to date with regulations. Sometimes it’s tough to enforce, but Greg really opened my eyes about the importance of the guys in the field seeing their supervisors holding those high standards for safety not just for them, but for us too,” said Kevin Masters, a jobsite superintendent at Power Solutions in Fraser. “As a field guy myself, I was not looking forward to two days behind a desk listening to a presenter, but Greg really is passionate about construction safety and knows how to instill that passion in you.”
Safety Academy was a workshop that helped owners, managers, supervisors and more understand what makes an effective and efficient safety culture. The program had attendees do a deep dive into their current safety plan and build onto it.
“We do a deep dive into companies safety culture,” Sizemore said. “I ask each attendee to fill out a survey honestly about what they thing they’re doing well and key areas they want to focus more closely on. Now we have a starting point, and from there, we can make an action plan with goals and set up leaders to uphold these goals and therefore hold them accountable for the plan.”
For ABC members interested in improving their safety culture, please reach out to our director of safety Drew Maltese at safety@abcsemi.org or learn more about his safety services at abcsemi.org/safety.
