Constructor - July/August 2015 - (Page 13)

PResIDent's MessAGe Making Highway Work Sites Safer Almost hAlf of hIghwAy construction firms reported having motor vehicles crash into BY CHUCK GRECO AGC PRESIDENT AGC of America continues to provide a host of safety training programs, focusing on everything from mandatory OSHA training to helping prevent falls. @Constr uctor Ma g their work zones during the past year. Think about that for a second. If your firm is in the business of building roads, you have a 50/50 chance that at least one driver is going to barrel into one of your jobsites, putting your workers at serious risk of injury or death not to mention the impact to the drivers and passengers themselves. Each year hundreds of people die in highway work zone crashes. What makes each of these fatalities so tragic is that every one of them is preventable. I urge every driver who reads this article to slow down, pay attention, stop using phones when driving and deliver this message to everyone to whom you influence. Federal officials need to follow the law and fund the installation of jersey barriers at most work sites. Law enforcement officials need to be more vigilant. And we the industry need to continue pushing our teams to operate as safely as possible in all that we do, with emphasis on highway work zones. Influencing drivers, lawmakers, officers and our construction teams to change their behavior isn't easy, which is precisely why AGC of America has been compiling and releasing its annual Highway Work Zone Safety Survey (see article on Page 48) for the past several years. In addition to measuring the extent and impact of highway work zone crashes, our objective with this survey is to help raise awareness of the need for safer work zones so we can change behaviors. Spreading the word about the need for greater highway work zone safety isn't the only way AGC of America and its chapters and member firms are working to make construction safer. In early May, dozens of member firms and chapters across the country participated in a week of safety stand downs so they could draw attention to the importance of safety generally, as well as specific topics such as fall protection and the proper use of personal protective equipment. Meanwhile, AGC of America continues to provide a host of safety training programs, focusing on everything from mandatory OSHA training to helping prevent falls. And earlier this year AGC launched a new safety training program focusing on ways to improve highway work zone safety. Recent events tell us that all of this focus on safety awareness and training is going to become increasingly necessary. As construction employment expands and many older workers retire, we are going to see an influx of new, and relatively inexperienced, workers on many jobsites across the country. While it is exciting to see a new generation coming into the industry, experience and data tells us that new workers are more likely to be involved in a safety incident than seasoned workers. We need to pay very close attention to them! Your safety initiatives should take advantage of the many safety training opportunities AGC of America offers. As construction professionals, we need to spread the word among our employees and business partners that the health and safety of our workers must remain our top priority. If we all do that, we can help make sure our current and future workers get home safely every night. Be safe! ◆ J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 | www.constructormagazine.com 13 http://www.constructormagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Constructor - July/August 2015

EDITOR’S NOTE
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
CEO’S LETTER
REBUILDING MOTOR CITY
THE REAL DETROIT
RAISING THE GRADE
FEDCON BRINGS CONTRACTORS AND AGENCY LEADERSHIP TOGETHER
HOOKED UP
2015 WILLIS CONSTRUCTION SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS
PUTTING MOORE INTO SAFETY
SIMONSON SAYS
THE ROAD TO SAFETY
CONSTRUCTION SAFETY APPS SAVE WORKER LIVES
DEEP SPACE FINE
TIME TO ENGAGE
COORDINATION LEADS TO TRIUMPH
AGC IN ACTION
TREASURE TROVE
A P3 PRIMER
MEMBER AND CHAPTER NEWS
THREE MUST HAVES IN A FLEET MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY NEWS
A LABOR OF LOVE
TECHNOLOGY TOOLBOX
BEYOND THESE PAGES
UPCOMING EVENTS
2015 REGIONAL RESOURCE GUIDE
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
FINAL INSPECTION

Constructor - July/August 2015