AGCs Safety Record

Contact

Kevin Cannon
Director of Safety & Health Services
Government & Public Affairs
Associated General Contractors of America
2300 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22201
USA
Phone: (703) 837-5410
Fax: (703) 837-5453
http://www.agc.org

A Strong and Lasting Commitment to Safety

Background:

  • The safety and health of the nation's construction workforce is a top priority for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and its members. A strong and healthy workforce is vital to our industry. Both from a human perspective as well as an economic incentive, our members know that safety pays.

AGC's Contributions to the Advancement of Safety and Health in the Construction Industry:

  • Partnership with the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. AGC has established a strong relationship with OSHA through cooperative programs, work group meetings, and providing input in the regulatory process. AGC participated on the Steel Erection and Crane and Derricks Negotiated Rule Making Advisory Committees as well as being a member of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) as wells to positively impact safety and health in the construction industry.
  • By the Numbers. Overall, the Construction industry has seen its safety record improve from an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable case incidence rate per full time worker was reduced more than 200 percent from 11.5 in 1994 to 5.4 per hundred workers in 2007. The number of lost work days has dropped more than 250 percent from 4.8 per hundred full time workers in 1994 to 1.9 in 2007. Considering that construction employment grew more than 60 percent, from 5 million to nearly 8 million employees over the same 14 year period, this is good news. The construction industry realized that safety is an ever-improving, never-complete process. We must be vigilant about continuing education and training.
  • Leader in the Development of Safety and Health Training Programs and Materials. AGC has an active Safety and Health Committee and this group helps facilitate the development of materials and training programs to improve safety in the industry. This includes the distribution of over 40,500 training CD-ROMs (in English and Spanish), 22,500 educational handouts, as well as hundreds of safety videos and other safety products available from the AGC bookstore. The most recent product created is a comprehensive Highway Worker Safety Training Program.
  • Provider of Educational and Training Opportunities for the Construction Industry. Through the Susan Harwood Training Grant program, AGC has been able to develop and implement programs that provide free safety and health training nationwide on the focus four hazards in construction. Through the grant programs, 8,000 individuals have received training, 40,000 training CDs in English and Spanish and over 60,000 educational handouts on these critical issues have been distributed. AGC also offers Safety Management Training Courses Advanced Safety Management Training Courses, partners with Zurich on a Soft Tissue Injury Prevention Program, and many AGC affiliates offer Professional Crane Operator Training Program. In addition, AGC offers 24 English and 12 Spanish online safety training courses including the OSHA 10 Construction Industry Training Program through our Online Institute.
  • Awards Programs Recognize and Reward Safety Excellence. Through its two annual award programs, the Construction Safety and Excellence Awards (CSEA) and the National AGC Safety Awards (NASA), AGC is able to bring nationwide recognition to construction firms who epitomize the best our industry has to offer. The CSEA recognizes corporate commitment to safety as well as innovation and motivation of employees to adhere to strict safety principles. The programs showcase companies that achieve continuous improvements of their safety and health management systems. These award programs provide examples for other companies on how to improve their safety procedures and provide inspiration for efforts to continually search for ways to improve safety for the industry.