Safety Ties Together Construction Industry

WORCESTER, Pa. – More than 50 national and global construction firms have joined forces for the annual Safety Week, a construction industry-wide education and awareness event. Safety Week 2016 will be held May 2-6 to align with what the Occupational Safety & Health Administration and other federal agencies have set as the National Safety Stand-Down focusing on fall prevention on the job.

Safety Week is an opportunity for people and companies – even competitors – to work together and rally around a common cause. During Safety Week, construction companies will take the opportunity to thank their employees for the commitment to safety and work to educate, inspire and share best practices. Many companies will conduct on-site safety awareness activities.

“Ask anyone in construction and they will tell you that safety is the number one priority – it crosses competitive boundaries and ties us all together,” said Ross Myers, CEO, Allan Myers and Safety Week co-chair.

“That is the reason we’ve chosen Safety Ties as our theme this year, because the commitment to safety is strongest when it’s woven into the culture of our work and is a visible part of our everyday routines and processes. For workers on a jobsite, this starts with the individual. Every day, each person needs to take responsibility for their own safety and the safety of those around them.”

To symbolize Safety Ties, participating companies will launch social media campaigns around photos of bootlaces as a visible homage to Safety Week.

Three major U.S. construction sites will host ceremonial events during which the laces and a “ribbon tying” will be used as powerful emblems of safety.

Job sites include:

1. The New NY Bridge (replacing the Tappan Zee), Tarrytown, New York – featuring eight general traffic lanes, cashless tolling and a shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.
2. The Crenshaw/LAX Transit project, Los Angeles, California – an 8.5-mile light-rail line, with eight stations, serving the Crenshaw District, Inglewood, Westchester and surrounding area.
3. The 35Express Project, Dallas, Texas – a $1.4-billion expansion of Interstate 35E between U.S. Highway 380 in Denton County and I-­635 in Dallas County extending approximately 30 miles, through nine cities and two counties to relieve traffic congestion. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2017.

At these events, guest speakers and project executives will speak about the status of their projects and the importance of and unifying nature of safety.
“A culture of safety starts at the CEO’s office and I applaud all the corporate executives who focus on safety as their essential product,” said LA Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. “The end users of these great transportation projects understand that by caring for the safety of workers, we also care about the quality and safety of the entire system.”

Photo source: http://photos.prnewswire.com.