Maintaining a safe and healthy work environment should be one of the core operating principles of every AEC firm. Ensuring compliance with OSHA requirements on the job site is only a baseline – it takes much more to develop and champion internal programs that drive a team to achieve a zero-injury, zero-incident work environment. Haskell’s Lance Simons recalls, “As a safety professional with over 30 years of experience, I’ve found compliance to be only a fraction of my job. It is just as important to utilize these requirements, lessons learned and best practices to establish a safety-minded culture within Haskell.” To create such an environment, a firm must set high standards and embrace safety as a lifestyle choice. The true role of an effective safety professional encompasses so much more than what meets the eye. At Haskell, our safety leaders, like Lance, embody the following roles:

• Coach: As an integral part of the construction team, the safety professional must understand project goals, schedules, budgets, and potential hazards to identify the safest and most efficient approaches to execute the work.
• Mentor: The safety professional takes on the obligation to transfer safety knowledge to their entire project team, including subcontractors and vendors.
• Salesman: Many safety professionals, regardless of certifications, experience and accolades, have encountered an unfortunate, avoidable safety incident. To ensure the value of safety hits home for team members, they have to sell all colleagues on the importance of getting workers home safely and delivering a project successfully.
• Leader: The safety professional is responsible for inspiring their team, displaying professionalism and compassion during conflict and collaboration.

Ultimately, safety success goes beyond the metrics and OSHA requirements. It demands leadership and a strong partnership between both client and contractor prior to the contract award and extends through the demobilization of the project. The most critical aspect is the shared commitment to the safety and protection of each employee, client and contractor. When a safety professional knows their role as Coach, Mentor, Storyteller and Leader, owners are assured a strong partner and advocate for success. This is one reason that Haskell recently was recognized by Associated Builders and Contractors as a Safety Pinnacle Recipient. Want to learn more about the safety-minded culture within Haskell and how it contributes to project success? Contact our safety specialist, Lance Simons at lance.simons@haskell.com or 904.357.4967.