Michuda kicks off #safetyweek across all job sites with the Chicagoland AGC
By Michuda Construction
Updated May 8, 2018 1:32 ET
OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS - Look at any Michuda Construction field team member and you’ll find safety as the common denominator. As the sun peaks over the tops of Advocate Christ Hospital Friday morning, it reveals photos attached to ID badges of loved ones, dogs, and motorcycles captioned with “I am safe for….” This symbolism serves as a constant reminder of the ever present dangers construction workers face on the job every single day.
As construction related accidents become more commonplace with increased expansion and development, weeks like the Association of General Contractor’s “Safety Stand Down Week” aim to increase dialogues and training exercises towards minimizing accidents in the workplace. Michuda has taken these initiatives a step further, embracing a corporate culture of “Zero Incidents” in the field.
We acknowledge that accidents are bound to happen,” says Joe Michuda, Executive Vice President and COO of Michuda. “But this doesn’t mean that we won’t achieve a culture where accidents are an unusual occurrence and accident free days are expected.”
Impressive is where Michuda applies this ideology. Found on all of their jobs are superintendents armed with tablet computers and safety briefings before the work day.
Known company wide as “The Huddle,” Michuda’s teams in the field embrace an expanded communication before, during, and after the work day, followed by “checking in” to the Michuda Mobile software platform to inform each project manager where, what, and when work will be performed that day.
“We know where everyone is on every single one of our jobs at any specific time,” says Dan Winkler, a senior superintendent at Michuda. “The huddle lets us discuss what the goals are for the day and it’s pretty clear cut that everyone on our jobs is fully credentialed and up to date on their safety training.”
Michuda has put in a structure that is standardized and can adapt to changes in safety requirements. Events such as the “Safety Stand Down Week” give Michuda an opportunity to continue to rally support from the field to report and embrace technological shifts in safety culture.