By Dan Johnson, CEO, Mortenson; Chair, Construction Safety Week
Join the Safety Movement May 6 – 10th!
Celebrating 10 years of fostering a stronger safety culture, Construction Safety Week continues its mission to bring every team member home safely each day to their loved ones. Since its inception, this initiative has helped shape the safety efforts of organizations through leadership, education, and empowering our craft workforce. With an array of resources available, organizations participating in Construction Safety Week are provided with tools to engage their teams and share best practices for improving job site safety.
The theme of Construction Safety Week helps guide the conversations and efforts throughout the campaign. The 2023 Construction Safety Week theme, Strong Voices, Safe Choices, demonstrated that every person plays a vital role in safety, encouraging all people to use their voice. That concept has evolved into this year’s theme, Value Every Voice. Not only is it crucial for team members to understand they have a voice, but it is also vital to know that their voice is heard. If individuals speak up but no one listens, the drive for safety is impossible. It’s time to give these voices the power to make a difference. Many industry-leading organizations use Construction Safety Week to show employees how safety is valued and that people are the foundation of everything we do.
Engaged and Inspired
Construction Safety Week was founded in 2014 when 40 companies joined forces to inspire action toward a safer industry. From this initial goal, it has evolved to more than 70 companies committed to the mission. Founding members aimed to create meaningful change extending beyond Construction Safety Week by engaging leadership and all team members throughout the year. While work is still ahead, these efforts have contributed to positive workplace protocol and culture changes.
“Hensel Phelps has been a member of Construction Safety Week since its inception because of its unified mission to make our industry safer,” said Mike Choutka, President/CEO of Hensel Phelps. “We joined the executive committee to partner with like-minded champions of safety to provide the greatest impact for all members. It is important to us because it shows our employees and trade partners that our investment in them is a priority. I hope others will join the cause to eliminate incidents on all projects across the country.”
Why Does Safety Matter?
The evolution of safety in construction lends itself to a stronger industry. When leadership invests time and energy into safety, those efforts can inspire a collective safety mindset that drives a stronger culture and a higher-performing industry.
Mortenson authored a 2023 NAC Executive Insights report that highlights the role leadership plays in safety. Management teams should strive to create a safer environment and never assume they’ve reached the pinnacle of safety. A commitment by management, in turn, encourages engagement by the team members directly impacted by job site safety. Taking the steps to plan and initiate open conversations can help drive personal ownership in building a culture that empowers and values every voice.
In the report, we noted that “Safety is the most important obligation any leader has to their organization and to the friends and families that entrust them with caring for their loved ones while on the job. Preventing safety incidents is not about keeping down rates. It is about providing members of the construction industry a place to build a safe and successful career where they can be proud of the work they do and create opportunities to enjoy their personal hobbies and passions outside of work.”
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the unemployment rate in the construction industry remains lower than typical. However, there is a shortage of skilled workers to fill the increasing demand. By making safety a priority, companies can help attract and retain more workers to meet the industry’s needs.
“Gray’s safety culture is driven by the goal of sending everyone home safely to their loved ones at the end of each day. We’re absolutely committed to this goal—to safety—because it’s not about the numbers; it’s all about the people the numbers represent,” said Brian Jones, President and CEO of Gray Construction. We’re proud to join the Safety Week executive committee, which focuses on raising awareness of safety and bringing this goal to the forefront of our industry.”
Connecting to The Theme
Daily topics during Construction Safety Week give all participating organizations a framework to approach the week and highlight critical parts of the campaign. Every day is dedicated to a specific topic guiding leadership and team members to connect and strengthen the message of Construction Safety Week. The 2024 daily topics are:
- Monday: Driving Personal Ownership
- Tuesday: Encourage and Welcome New Ideas
- Wednesday: Embracing Every Voice
- Thursday: Strengthen Our Culture
- Friday: Thank You for Using Your Voice
Get Involved and Become Part of the Change
Executives and company leadership who commit to safety initiatives, like Construction Safety Week, demonstrate that they are industry leaders. Construction Safety Week welcomes new organizations to join the movement as sponsors, members, or advocates for the week-long campaign from May 6-10, 2024.
Leading up to and during the week, team members and leadership will gain access to resources that will enhance their business’s safety program. With daily topics, team members stay engaged and gain insights on enhancing safety efforts throughout the year. Learn more about our tools and resources and how to involve your company at constructionsafetyweek.com.
The industry is evolving with more companies taking steps to become safer for every team member. Companies are investing in education, equipment, and the overall safety of their team members, leading to a culture of trust. At Construction Safety Week, we encourage every company to think about the safety programs they have in place and look for ways to elevate those programs. How can we ensure every team member who goes out on the job gets home to their family every day?
Learn more about Construction Safety Week and how this week-long campaign focused on recommitting to safety can help your team stay committed the entire year.
Dan Johnson is the Chief Executor Officer of Mortenson, a top commercial construction and general contracting company in the United States. Dan is Chair of the 2024 Construction Safety Week, an event that allows people, companies, and the entire industry to join together, celebrate, and recommit to doing whatever it takes to send everyone home safely every day.