In January, NAVFAC Rear Admiral Kate Gregory sent AGC and all NAVFAC contractors a letter about her concerns for corporate construction safety given seven recent fatalities. Admiral Gregory requested AGC’s thoughts on means to improve safety on the jobsite.
AGC responded to her letter, articulating AGC and its members’ commitment to safety, delineating what safety services and opportunities AGC provides its members and identifying several safety initiatives NAVFAC may consider. Those safety initiatives include:
- Consistent and Accurate Safety Direction. NAVFAC HQ should consider establishing a policy under which: (1) one government safety representative will have authority to alter worksite safety protocol; and (2) project RFPs specifically state the safety requirements contractors must follow on particular projects.
- Encourage Corporate Commitment to Safety in All AGC Member Firms. NAVFAC should consider reengaging with its contractors to reinforce and celebrate safety excellence, not just failures.
- Encourage Safety Reporting. NAVFAC should consider a non-punitive approach to promoting incident and near-miss reporting by contractors.
AGC will continue to work with NAVFAC and AGC members to learn from these unfortunate events and to promote a culture of safety in the construction industry.
For more information, please contact Jimmy Christianson at christiansonj@agc.org or Kevin Cannon at cannonk@agc.org.