In January, NAVFAC Rear Admiral Kate Gregory sent 51·çÁ÷ and all NAVFAC contractors about her concerns for corporate construction safety given seven recent fatalities. Admiral Gregory requested 51·çÁ÷’s thoughts on means to improve safety on the jobsite.
to her letter, articulating 51·çÁ÷ and its members’ commitment to safety, delineating what safety services and opportunities 51·çÁ÷ 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 51·çÁ÷ 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.
51·çÁ÷ will continue to work with NAVFAC and 51·çÁ÷ 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.Ìý