Erland / Project Success Starts with Safety

Authored by Clarence Reid, Safety Director & Laurie Webber, Assistant Safety Director

At Erland, we deem a project successful not only based on it completing on budget and schedule but also how safely it was performed. Our project safety procedures are instituted well before our teams mobilize to a jobsite.

Erland has a robust safety training program for our employees. During orientation, our team members receive a copy of our Safety & Health Program and are walked-through the company’s policies. We require all employees to become First Aid, CPR and AED Certified and offer trainings throughout the year to ensure this certification is up-to-date. Additionally, all field management staff are obligated to complete OSHA’s 30-hour Construction Safety course and obtain their Hot Work Certification through the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). They are also trained on what to do in case an emergency or crisis arises onsite.

Prior to project mobilization, our teams are required to create a Site-Specific Safety Plan for their respective jobsites. This plan outlines how we manage the risk and health and safety requirements for a particular project. It is written to protect personnel, visitors, and the general public from exposure to jobsite hazards. Our teams engage the architect and subcontractors early-on to help identity risks and develop mitigation solutions. They also create logistics and phasing plans that focus on reducing our impact to the construction area. The plan is meant to be a living document and updated regularly to incorporate any changes to project conditions and newly identified hazards. The COVID-19 pandemic is a recent example of an unforeseen circumstance requiring updates be made to our Site-Specific Safety Plans.

At the start of construction, every subcontractor is required to sign a “Welcome to Erland” form that outlines the safety requirements for which they are held responsible. Our subcontractor partners also provide Site-Specific Safety Plans and a Job Safety/Job Hazard Analysis for each jobsite they work on.  Erland’s Project Superintendent holds weekly Tool Box Talks onsite with all subcontractors to review and discuss relevant safety issues and to identify any new hazards. Our Project Superintendent also conducts daily inspections of the site and distributes a weekly report to the entire Erland team assigned to the project for review, including Erland’s Safety Director and Assistant Safety Director (“safety officers”).

The safety officers are responsible for traveling to the various jobsites and performing safety audits that ensure the overall quality and safety of the work environment. One of our main responsibilities is to assist with the formulation of site-specific safety plans and make recommendations for continual improvement to them and our overall Safety & Health Program. The safety officers continuously provide our guidance on safety-related issues in the field—offering support to the not only Erland employees, but also all subcontractors and occupants on our jobsites. 

In addition to having two full-time safety officers, Erland also has our own in-house Safety Committee. The group is comprised of employees from operations, administration, and corporate management. To ensure compliance, the committee conducts unannounced jobsite inspections and develop actionable reports. They also implement enhancements to Erland’s Safety & Health Program based on changes in OSHA standards.

Safety is engrained in the Erland culture; it’s rooted in everything we do. We have an affinity and passion for educating the workforce and empowering our team members to do what we do safely with the overall goal of influencing the construction industry in its entirety. Erland strives to supersede current industry norms; creating a culture where everyone feels responsible for safety and upholds this duty on a daily basis. It’s the driving force behind our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all who are present in our places of work.

For any questions regarding this topic, please contact Clarence Reid at creid@erland.com or Laurie Webber at lwebber@erland.com.