Jacksonville, FL - Haskell has once again achieved Diamond level in the Associated Builders and Contractor’s STEP safety management system. Founded in 1989, STEP participation demonstrates safety leadership and a cultural commitment to safety performance. STEP applicants measure safety processes and policies on 24 key components through a detailed questionnaire with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce jobsite incidents.

Haskell has also won the ABC National Safety Pinnacle Award, the highest honor awarded by ABC for safety. The award will formally be presented at the 30th Annual Excellence in Construction Awards during ABC Convention 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 18, 2020.

"We have earned the Diamond level for nearly a decade now, which is a testament to the cultural emphasis Haskell team members place on safety,” said Lance Simons, Haskell VP of Safety & Quality. “And winning the Pinnacle Award is welcomed recognition of our continued, relentless pursuit to be the safety leader in our industry."

The Diamond level and Pinnacle Award are based on 2019 performance, a notable safety year for Haskell as it marked the first time in company history that Haskell team members executed more than 3 million manhours, exclusive of additional contract partner manhours. Key initiatives, including a revamped ‘Take 5’ Safety/Quality program and the ‘Field-Focused’ campaign, placed greater focus on field staff where safe project execution is the real measure of success.

"As an industry, it is our responsibility to ensure our workers go home in the same –or better—condition than when they arrived on the jobsite every day,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC VP of Health, Safety, Environment and Workforce Development. “By participating in STEP, Haskell’s leadership has demonstrated a commitment to create the conditions for all to do their work without incident. By implementing proactive safety measures, such as toolbox talks and sound substance abuse policies, Haskell is committed to consistently raising the bar when it comes to safety performance."

According to ABC’s annual Safety Performance Report, applying STEP processes dramatically improves safety performance among participants regardless of company size or type of work, and can reduce recordable incidents up to 85%, making the best-performing companies 680% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average. Ratings range from Diamond, the highest, to Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Participant.